RESEARCH - Many rheumatology patients have low health literacy

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Many Rheumatology Patients Have Low Health Literacy

MedicalNewsToday.com

Article Date: 14 Dec 2010 - 1:00 PST

Many patients seen at a rheumatology clinic-including some with a long

history of rheumatoid arthritis (RA)-don't recognize important terms

related to their health and medical treatment, reports a study in the

December issue of JCR: Journal of Clinical Rheumatology. The journal

is published by Lippincott & Wilkins, a part of Wolters

Kluwer Health, a leading provider of information and business

intelligence for students, professionals, and institutions in

medicine, nursing, allied health, and pharmacy.

" More than 10 percent of patients who had been living with RA for an

average of 11 years could not read the words osteoporosis,

inflammatory, rheumatologist, cartilage, and symptom correctly, "

according to the new research, led by J. Swearingen,

Ph.D., of University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock.

The results add to recent evidence identifying low health literacy as

a common problem that may contribute to poor health outcomes.

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Read the full article here:

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/211286.php

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