Question

Which of the following can help a person improve his or her health literacy

Answer 1

Answer and Explanation

There are various ways which could help a person improve his or her health literacy. They are;

• In accessing a patient’s ability of understanding written materials such as prescriptions, an should ask open-ended questions.

• In determining if a patient understands instructions, one should use the Teach Back communication technique.

• When showing a patient how to use a device and how to perform some tasks, employ the ‘show back’ technique where you show them what to do.

• Use the ‘upside down’ technique when handing instruction documents to patients to observe whether they will notice and put it right side up.

• Employ simple language when talking to patients .i.e. “swallow” instead of “take”

• Employ a slow language tone when giving instructions to patients

• Replace long instructions with graphics and pictures

• When providing information, respect the grade level of the patient.