Medical students have varied experiences in issues related to health literacy, with many unaware of the association between health literacy and its impact on the patient-physician relationship. Students rotate at various sites caring for a large population of patients who are at risk for low health literacy. There is no formal curriculum on health literacy for students enrolled at the Keck School of Medicine (KSOM).

Introduction/Background

Your Title HereAuthor 1, MD1, Author 2, MD2, Author 3, MD3, etc

Keck School of Medicine, 1Departments of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, 2Department of Family Medicine, 3Division of Medical Education, Los Angeles, CA, USA

Objective

Results

References

The Health Literacy Selective (HLS) is an interactive, inter-professional, multi-modal curricular unit for second year medical students on health literacy and the physician’s role.

Health literacy, defined as “the degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions”1 is integral to patients’ ability to adhere to treatment and achieve the best possible health outcomes.2 Approximately 90 million people in the United States have limited health literacy skills.1,2 Health care providers often overestimate literacy levels of their patients and patients fail to reveal their low health literacy levels; this communication gap can ultimately affect the patient-physician relationship.3

1. Kutner M, Greenberg E, Jin Y, Paulsen C. The Health Literacy of America’s Adults: Results from the 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy. Washington, DC: National Center for Educational Statistics, US Department of Education; 2006.2. Bloomberg Businessweek. 90 million adults in the U.S. have difficulty understanding health information; Lilly earns national honor for achievement in health literacy. PR Newswire, August 30, 2012. http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/news/article.asp?docKey=600-201208301200PR_NEWS_USPRX____DE63332-1&params=timestamp%7C%7C08/30/2012%2012:00%20PM%20ET%7C%7Cheadline%7C%7C90%20million%20adults%20in%20the%20U.S.%20have%20difficulty%20understanding%20health%20information%3B%20Lilly%20earns%20national%20honor%20for%20achievement%20in%20health%20literacy%7C%7CdocSource%7C%7CPR%20Newswire%7C%7Cprovider%7C%7CACQUIREMEDIA%7C%7Cbridgesymbol%7C%7CUS;LLY&ticker=LLY 3. Devraj R, Butler LM, Gupchup GV, Poirier TI. Active-Learning Strategies to Develop Health Literacy Knowledge and Skills. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, 74(8):Article 137, 2010. 4. Keck Educational Objectives, Keck School of Medicine of USC Medical Student Program, 2012.

Materials and Methods

Discussion

Quantitative methods to assess student knowledge and reaction:•course evaluation•pre-test and post-test•OSCE performance on a patient education case in KSOM’s Clinical Performance Exam, compared with that of students not in the HLSQualitative methods to assess students’ intent to change behaviors:•Written reflection of key concepts learned and a commitment to “act” in patient care setting•6 month follow-up with students to ascertain successful implementation of committment and barriers to “act”

Contact Information

Incorporated into the Professionalism and the Practice of Medicine (PPM) curriculum

Objectives:• describe health literacy and its associated

outcomes• discuss potential physician advocacy activities • assess patient health literacy• provide patient education delivered at the

appropriate level for patients

Year I:Introductory two-hour session on health literacy

Year II:‑20-25 medical students can participate in the HLS as part of their Year II PPM curriculum ‑6 interactive sessions‑Multimodal classroom techniques include: ‑ film clips‑ facilitated discussion‑ small group case-based activities‑ role-play‑ student presentations‑ inter-professional activities with

pharmacists ‑ reflective writing‑ commitments to act/change

This health literacy curriculum model can be used in other medical schools, residency programs, and health professional fields.