Do audiences understand health stories? (#ahcj09)
Health journalists understand some of the key elements audiences need to better understand health stories, but they also misunderstand the impact statistical information has on audience comprehension, according to a University of Missouri researcher.
Speaking at the Association of Health Care Journalists’ annual conference, assistant professor Amanda Hinnant, Ph.D., said the results of a survey she and colleagues conducted showed that health journalists realize audiences will be more likely to understand health stories that include a human element, use graphics to illustrate important information and employ a conversational tone.
Kim Walsh-Childers, Ph.D., of the University of Florida writes about the panel - includes a link to Hinnant’s presenation.
Lack of health literacy can be fatal
Pauline Chen, M.D., wrote in The New York Times about “health literacy,” arguing that both patients and doctors share the responsibility of ensuring that patients truly understand their conditions and the behavior expected to them.
Chen tells the story of one patient, a former professional athlete suffering from diabetes and other chronic ailments, who died after he was discharged from the hospital because he did not take proper care of himself.
Dr. Rebecca L. Sudore, assistant professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, was lead author on a “landmark study that linked limited health literacy to higher mortality rates.”
Dr. Sudore went on to suggest ways in which doctors and patients might address health literacy. “One thing we tell clinicians to do is to ’teach back’ or ’teach to goal.’ A clinician might say, ’I’ve just said a lot of things and I want to make sure I’ve explained things clearly to you. Can you explain things back to me, so I know you understand?’ This discussion creates a kind of a shared understanding. The doctor may not have the time, but these questions can bring up red flags that can be discussed during a follow-up appointment.”
For patients, Dr. Sudore recommended taking the initiative to tell the doctor how much is understood. “You should go back to the doctor and say, ’What I hear you saying is this. Did I get that right?’ Or, ’I’m leaving the hospital. You just gave me this new drug, but I’m still supposed to take all my other medications. Is that right?’ ”
Hear more about the topic at Health Journalism 2009 at the panel “Health literacy: Does the public understand you?“
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