The Importance of Knowing What the Doctor Is Talking About

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The Importance of Knowing What the Doctor Is Talking About

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/30/health/30brody.html?ref=health

By JANE E. BRODY

How often have you left a doctor's office wondering just what you

were told about your health, or what exactly you were supposed to be

doing to relieve or prevent a problem? If you are a typical patient,

you remember less than half of what your doctor tries to explain.

Whether you left school at 16 or have a doctorate; whether your

annual income is in four figures or six; whether you are black,

white, Hispanic, Asian or American Indian, chances are there have

been many medical encounters that left you with less than optimal

understanding about how you can improve or protect your health.

National studies have found that " health literacy " is remarkably

low, with more than 90 million Americans unable to adequately

understand basic health information. The studies show that this

obstacle " affects people of all ages, races, income and education

levels, " Dr. H. Carmona, the United States surgeon general,

wrote in the August issue of The Journal of General Internal

Medicine, which was devoted to health literacy.

The fallout is anything but trivial. Researchers have found that

poor health literacy, which is especially prevalent among the

elderly, results in poor adherence to prescription instructions,

infrequent use of preventive medical services, increased

hospitalizations and visits to the emergency room and worse control

of chronic diseases.

The consequences are poorer health and greater medical costs. All

because doctors fail to speak to patients in plain English (or

Spanish or Chinese or any other language) and fail to make sure that

patients understand what they are told and what they are supposed to

do and why.

In a study published in the internal medicine journal, conducted

among 2,512 elderly men and women living on their own in Memphis and

Pittsburgh, those with limited health literacy were nearly twice as

likely to die in a five-year period as were those with adequate

health literacy. That held true even when age, race, socioeconomic

factors, current health conditions, health care access and health-

related behaviors were taken into account.

Another study in the journal among 175 adult asthma patients treated

by Cornell University doctors found that " less health literacy was

associated with worse quality of life, worse physical function and

more emergency department utilization for asthma over two years. "

Among the many problems resulting from limited health literacy are

misinterpretations of warning labels on prescription drugs. For

example, among 251 adults attending a primary care clinic in

Shreveport, La., those with low literacy were three times more

likely to misunderstand warnings than the more literate.

When the warning label read " Do Not Chew or Crush, Swallow Whole, "

misinterpretations included " Chew it up, so it will dissolve "

and " Don't swallow whole or you might choke. "

When the warning read " Medication Should Be Taken With Plenty of

Water, " the mistakes included " Don't take when wet " and " Don't drink

hot water. "

When the warning was " For External Use Only, " the mistakes

included " Medicine will make you feel dizzy " and " Use extreme

caution in how you take it. "

Better Communication

Despite major reports on the need to improve health literacy issued

in the last decade by organizations including the American Medical

Association and the National Academy's Institute of Medicine, little

improvement has been noted in how much patients understand and

remember about encounters with health care practitioners.

A main obstacle has been the decreased time patients can spend with

their doctors, dictated largely by managed care and other medical

reimbursement plans.

A second hurdle is the embarrassment that patients with limited

health literacy experience when they do not understand what the

doctor has said. And, of course, asking for clarification is

seriously impeded by the imbalance in power between the white-coated

physician and the paper-wrapped patient. Even when conversations are

conducted in the doctor's office with a fully clothed patient,

patients are often reluctant to ask questions.

The tools for repairing this problem lie mainly within the realms of

medical education and clinical practice. More medical schools,

residency programs and continuing education programs for practicing

physicians need to include training in clinical communication

skills.

Dr. Sunil Kripalani of the Emory University School of Medicine in

Atlanta and Dr. Barry D. Weiss of the University of Arizona College

of Medicine in Tucson suggest these strategies:

¶Doctors should assess the patient's baseline understanding before

providing extensive information: " Before we go on, could you tell me

what you already know about high blood pressure? "

¶Doctors should use plain language, not medical jargon, vague terms

and words that may have different meanings to a lay person. They

should say chest pain instead of angina, hamburger instead of red

meat and, " You don't have H.I.V. " instead of " Your H.I.V. test was

negative. "

¶To encourage patients to ask questions, doctors should ask, " What

questions do you have? " rather than, " Do you have any questions? "

¶Doctors should confirm the patient's understanding by saying, " I

always ask my patients to repeat things back to make sure I have

explained them clearly. " Or, if a new skill like using an inhaler

was taught, the doctor should have the patient demonstrate the

action.

¶Then, as fail-safe measures, the doctor should provide written

instructions and educational material for the patient and family to

review at home.

Dr. Kripalani and Dr. Weiss say none of this should take more than a

few minutes. And by tailoring information to a patient's individual

needs and limiting it to the most important points, the process can

save time in the long run, result in better control of chronic

illness and lead to shorter and less frequent office visits.

Experts on health literacy also encourage doctors to assess

patients' health literacy by asking them to read aloud a list of 66

medical terms, each within 5 seconds. Patients are scored on how

many words they pronounce correctly.

Taking the Lead

Do not wait until doctors become better at communicating. If you

want the best medical care, you have to take the initiative. If the

doctor says something you do not understand, ask that it be repeated

in simpler language. If you are given a new set of instructions,

repeat them back to the doctor to confirm your understanding. If you

are given a new device to use, demonstrate how you think you are to

use it.

Insist that conversations about serious medical matters take place

when you are dressed and in the doctor's office. Take notes or take

along an advocate who can take notes for you. Better yet, tape-

record the conversation to replay it at home for you and your family

or another doctor.

If you have received a diagnosis of a new problem and want to

explore it further on the Internet, be sure to look up reputable

sites. Two that can be relied on are www.nlm.nih.gov, produced by

the National Library of Medicine, and www.healthfinder.gov, produced

by the United States Department of Health and Human Services. Many

major medical centers also provide useful, accurate information

online.

Avoid anecdotal information posted by patients or patients'

relatives, as well as write-ups by commercial organizations that

overtly or covertly sell products.