About the Interview Study

Goal
Our motivation for conducting this small interview study was to help busy physicians and other health care professionals find communication strategies that have been proven to work through research and practitioners’ experience. We hope that providers who visit this site will be able to incorporate the suggestions and recommendations easily and quickly into their own practice. For patients interested in the topic of health literacy and provider-patient communication, our aim is to help them understand their role, as well as the physician’s, in the medical interview, which is one of the physician’s most important diagnostic tools.

Method
We interviewed eleven (n=11) experienced doctors, dentists, nurses, nutritionists, and social workers regarding health literacy issues in provider-patient communication to determine which techniques they have found to work, including any that are not detailed in the existing literature. Their suggestions were elicited via interviews (6 in person and 5 by telephone) obtained from April 10 to April 17, 2003. 

Interview Guide

  1. What sort of specific strategies and tools do you use to address health literacy? How do you accomplish giving directions and then making sure patients understand your instructions and follow-up information? Can you give an example or two?

  2. How has your knowledge of health literacy issues affected your communication with your patients? What tips and illustrations could you offer to others in the field?

  3. Does your institution expect you to be sensitive to issues of health literacy? 

  4. Are you actively engaged in educating your colleagues about health literacy? In what way? What recommendations have you found to be most helpful?

  5. In what type of setting are you currently working (e.g., hospital, clinic, office)?

  6. How would you describe your patient population (e.g., size, age, SES)?

  7. What kind of "signature" do you want us to use on the web site? At a minimum, we will list your specialty and your location in the country (e.g., Northeast). 

 

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