T2B2

Health Literacy

Free satellite broadcast, October 20, 2005 (9-10 am ET)

Speaker:
Mark V. Williams, MD, FACP
Professor of Medicine
Director, Hospital Medicine Unit
Emory University School of Medicine
Executive Medical Director, EHCA

Program Description
Health literacy is the ability to read and comprehend prescription bottles, appointment slips, and other essential health-related materials required to function successfully as a patient in the health care setting. With the increasing emphasis on disease self-management, many patients with inadequate or marginal health literacy (up to a third of English-speaking patients over age 65) may not have the skills necessary to properly understand health messages and care for themselves. Given the magnitude of this costly issue, physicians need to consider patients’ health literacy when diagnosing and treating them.

Program Objectives
After viewing this program , participants should
be able to:

• Define functional health literacy.
• Describe the magnitude of inadequate health literacy in America, particularly among the elderly.
• Explain the importance of patients’ health literacy on disease self-management skills.
• Use specific techniques to improve the success of patient education.

School of Public Health, University at Albany, is an approved provider of continuing nursing education by the New York State Nurses Association, an accredited approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.

These activities have been assigned code 6VKSFE-PRV-06-004 and has been approved for 1.0 contact hour.

School of Public Health, University at Albany is accredited by the MSSNY to provide continuing medical education (CME) for physicians. The School designates this educational activity for a maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s).TM Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

This activity is sponsored by the School of Public Health, University at Albany, SUNY, a designated provider of continuing education contact hours (CECH) in health education by the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, Inc. This program is designated for the CHES to receive 1.0 Category 1 CECH in health education.