QUESTIONS AND CORRECT ANSWERS
Literacy - CORRECT ANSWER understanding, evaluating, using, and engaging with written
text to participate in the society, to achieve one's goals and develop one's knowledge and potential
Numeracy - CORRECT ANSWER the ability to access, use, interpret, and communicate
mathematical demands of a range of situations in adult life.
Health literacy - CORRECT ANSWER the capacity to obtain, process, understand basic health
information and services, make appropriate health decisions, and determine readability
Proficient - CORRECT ANSWER define medical term from complex document and calculate
share of employee's health insurance costss
Intermediate - CORRECT ANSWER determine healthy weight from BMI chart and interpret
prescription and over the counter drug labels
Basic - CORRECT ANSWER understand simple patient education handout
Below basic - CORRECT ANSWER circle date on appointment slip, understand simple
pamphlet about pre-test instructions
High risk populations in low health literacy - CORRECT ANSWER elderly---81%
Hispanic---78%
0-8yrs----96%
Immigrants with 0-8 yrs prior education----91%
Why we need health literacy - CORRECT ANSWER more than one in two adults cannot use a
BMI graph to find their healthy weight, understand a vaccination chart, and read a drug label.
Outcomes of poor health literacy - CORRECT ANSWER poor health status
,Less likely to use preventive services
Delay using treatment services
More use of emergency room
More hospitalizations
Spend more money on health care
More likely to have chronic conditions
Poor management of chronic conditions
Become victims of fraud and quackery
Red flags for low literacy - CORRECT ANSWER frequently missed appointments
Incomplete registration forms
Non-compliance with medication
Unable to name medications, explain purpose or dosing
Identifies pills by looking at them, not reading label
Unable to give coherent, sequential history
Ask fewer questions
Lack of follow-through on tests or referrals
7 tips for clinicians - CORRECT ANSWER use plain language
Limit information (3-5 key points)
Be specific and concrete, not general
Demonstrate, draw pictures, use models
Repeat/summarize
Teach-back (confirm understanding)
Be positive, helpful, empowering
Quackery - CORRECT ANSWER commercialization of unproven, worthless, and sometimes
dangerous health products and procedures
---plays on peoples feat and desperation
---active and successful today
, Typical quackery victims - CORRECT ANSWER teenagers/people concerned with self-image
Elderly
Immigrants with limited language and knowledge about health fraud
Victims of life threatening diseases
Very rich or the very poor
Signs of quackery - CORRECT ANSWER secret remedy
Not available elsewhere
Against AMA or not accepted by AMA
Limited supply, act now
Miracle cures, cures everything or a lot
Too good to be true
Sold door to door by "health advisors"
Testimonials from satisfied customers
Ads in back of magazines, phone, mail
Common areas for fraud - CORRECT ANSWER arthritis products
Cancer treatments/cures
HIV/aids cures
Weight loss programs
Baldness remedies
Sexual aids
Nutritional schemes
Muscle stimulators
Anti-aging products
Consumer protection - CORRECT ANSWER Federal Trade Commission
Food and Drug Administration
Better Business Bureau
U.S. Postal Service