Health Literacy and Cultural Competency

Research Findings

Health Literacy

Research Activities, January 2010:
Interactive graphics for expressing health risks: Development and qualitative evaluation

Research Activities, December 2009:
Better educational materials are needed to boost the health literacy of individuals who are deaf

Research Activities, October 2009:
Self-management support results in better diabetes outcomes
Health literacy is linked to personal happiness

Research Activities, August 2009:
Economically disadvantaged patients may have trouble with patient-provider communication

Research Activities, July 2009:
More comprehensive American Indian and Alaska Native diabetes education programs are linked to better diabetes care

Research Activities, June 2009:
Weekly telephone calls help patients with limited English proficiency and literacy self-manage diabetes

Research Activities, May 2009:
New plain language guides on the comparison of insulin treatments for Type 2 diabetes are available

Research Activities, March 2009:
Educating patients before hospital discharge reduces readmissions, emergency department visits, and saves money
Risk of bleeding events is reduced among patients who report receiving instructions in warfarin use
Medicaid managed care for mental health services: The survival of safety net institutions in rural settings

Research Activities, January 2009:
New Spanish-language guide explains safe and effective use of the blood clot prevention drug, Coumadin®/warfarin

Research Activities, December 2008:
Hypertension questionnaire exposes knowledge gaps in New Orleans

Research Activities, October 2008:
Higher education among American Indian elders increases their likelihood of engaging in physical activity
Education by mail is as effective as in-class training for Korean-Americans with high blood pressure

Research Activities, September 2008:
Improving health literacy in elderly patients may enhance health status and reduce use of health care services
Direct-to-patient mailings increase adherence to beta-blocker therapy after heart attack
Development and validation of a short-form rapid estimate of adult literacy in medicine

Research Activities, August 2008:
New Spanish-language consumer guide compares oral diabetes medications

Research Activities, July 2008:
AHRQ announces guide to help patients on Coumadin®/warfarin therapy
Multiple prescriptions are linked to preventable drug reactions in children
Book chapter provides strategies and tips for addressing health literacy
Only about 1 in 10 adult Americans have all the skills needed to manage their health

Research Activities, June 2008:
AHRQ and the Ad Council encourage men to take preventive steps in their health care

Research Activities, May 2008:
AHRQ and Ad Council encourage Hispanics to become more involved in their health care
Use of a visual medication schedule and brief physician counseling can reduce time to anticoagulation control
Nearly one-third of adults show low literacy on dental health
Limited health literacy is a barrier to patients taking the correct prescribed medications
Poor literacy is linked to poor HIV medication adherence among blacks, and may contribute to HIV health disparities

Research Activities, April 2008:
Life challenges, not discharge problems, cause repeat hospitalizations
Physicians tend to be more patient-centered with more positive, satisfied, and involved patients

Research Activities, January 2008:
AHRQ releases toolkits to help providers and patients implement safer health care practices

Research Activities, December 2007:
New AHRQ tools help pharmacies better serve patients with limited health literacy

Research Activities, November 2007:
Local touchscreen computer kiosks can help parents in urban, low-income communities learn about their child's health
California Medicaid managed care plans would like to increase chronic disease care management programs

Research Activities, October 2007:
Strategies to improve health literacy for diverse populations should address literacy, language, and cultural barriers
Health literacy is not associated with how minorities perceive their physical or mental health status

Research Activities, May 2007:
Elderly Medicare patients with low health literacy receive little tangible support for their health care needs

Research Activities, November 2006:
Many men still confuse benign prostatic hyperplasia with prostate cancer, even after viewing an instructional videotape

Research Activities, July 2006:
Aggressive Medicaid and SCHIP outreach programs are needed to enroll Latino children

Research Activities, May 2006:
Researchers examine gender disparities in the quality of preventive care and management of heart disease and diabetes

Research Activities, March 2006:
Colorectal cancer screening rates are low among Latinos and people with little education

Research Activities, February 2006:
Studies suggest that ethnic differences in use of knee replacement surgery are linked to patient expectations and preferences

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Cultural and Linguistic Competency

Research Activities, January 2010:
Black physicians are less likely to have implicit preferences for blacks or whites

Research Activities, December 2009:
High blood pressure control is often elusive for blacks and Mexican Americans, despite adherence to treatment and lifestyle changes
Interpersonal processes of care and patient satisfaction: Do associations differ by race, ethnicity, and language?

Research Activities, November 2009:
Adapting CAHPS® for an American Indian population

Research Activities, September 2009:
AHRQ launches monthly health advice column and enhanced Web site in Spanish

Research Activities, August 2009:
Economically disadvantaged patients may have trouble with patient-provider communication

Research Activities, July 2009:
Inner-city Hispanic adults with limited English proficiency have poorer asthma control and quality of life
Nonelderly patients have more negative perceptions of patient-provider communication than the elderly
Minorities and the poor find communicating with doctors more difficult

Research Activities, June 2009:
Weekly telephone calls help patients with limited English proficiency and literacy self-manage diabetes
Nurse-led disease management of heart failure is cost-effective in ethnically diverse urban communities
Caregiving is especially challenging for Korean Americans

Research Activities, April 2009:
Immigrants use fewer preventive services than U.S. natives

Research Activities, March 2009:
Impact of direct-to-consumer advertising on drug use varies depending on the drug, scope of advertising, and culture

Research Activities, January 2009:
Culturally appropriate interventions raise flu and pneumonia vaccine rates at inner-city health centers
Evidence-based psychosocial treatments for ethnic minority youth

Research Activities, October 2008:
Race influences participation of companions in cancer consultations
The doctor-patient relationship is strengthened when patients see themselves as similar to their physicians
One-third of health center CEOs view health disparities collaboratives as negatively affecting centers' finances

Research Activities, September 2008:
Black girls look at being overweight with different eyes
Does knowledge matter? Intentional medication nonadherence among middle-aged Korean Americans with high blood pressure

Research Activities, August 2008:
New Spanish-language consumer guide compares oral diabetes medications
Enhancing the cultural competence of both clinicians and clinics may work synergistically to reduce care disparities

Research Activities, July 2008:
Asian-Pacific Islanders are more likely to die from serious, but treatable, hospital complications

Research Activities, May 2008:
AHRQ and Ad Council encourage Hispanics to become more involved in their health care
Use of a visual medication schedule and brief physician counseling can reduce time to anticoagulation control
Pain varies among women with late-stage breast cancer
Physicians could improve end-of-life communication and decision-making for elderly patients with advanced heart failure

Research Activities, April 2008:
White children are about twice as likely to use stimulants as black and Hispanic children

Research Activities, January 2008:
AHRQ releases toolkits to help providers and patients implement safer health care practices

Research Activities, November 2007:
Mexicans' access to primary care is limited overall, but worse in nonmetropolitan areas
California Medicaid managed care plans would like to increase chronic disease care management programs

Research Activities, October 2007:
Strategies to improve health literacy for diverse populations should address literacy, language, and cultural barriers
Asian Pacific American ethnic groups vary in their adherence to antihypertensive drug therapy
Three-fourths of low-income black women are dissatisfied with their body size 6 months after giving birth

Research Activities, September 2007:
Children with complex chronic conditions are more likely to die in their homes than in the hospital

Research Activities, April 2007:
Oncologists appear to communicate differently with breast cancer patients depending on women's age, race, education, and income
Clinic-based and community-based strategies can promote the use of key preventive services by Latina women
Elderly people find international medical school graduates to lack in cultural competency and communication skills

Research Activities, February 2007:
Japanese and Filipino women are much less likely than white women to undergo breast-conserving therapy for breast cancer

Research Activities, December 2006:
Older American Indians often have a poorer view of their own health than their doctors

Research Activities, September 2006:
The impact of interpreters on parents' experiences with ambulatory care for their children

Research Activities, August 2006:
Studies highlight the value of the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey to inform trends in care costs, coverage, use, and access

Research Activities, July 2006:
Puerto Rican children are diagnosed with asthma more often than other children

Research Activities, May 2006:
Parents of children with special health care needs identify multiple barriers to accessing care for their children
Researchers examine gender disparities in the quality of preventive care and management of heart disease and diabetes

Research Activities, April 2006:
Researchers describe the development and testing of the CAHPS® Hospital Survey
Doctor-patient communication is critical to how parents view the quality of end-of-life care for children with cancer

Research Activities, March 2006:
Interpreters are an effective communication option for patients with limited English proficiency
Recruitment of Hawaiians and Filipinos for clinical trials should address informed consent, research safeguards, and benefits
Colorectal cancer screening rates are low among Latinos and people with little education
Better communication and coordination of care could reduce frustration experienced by patients with chronic diseases

Research Activities, February 2006:
Clinical setting and physician communication style predict patient participation during medical consultations

Research Activities, January 2006:
State-subsidized health insurance programs provide both benefits and difficulties for low-income children

Research Activities, March 2005:
Patient-physician communication in the primary care visits of African Americans and whites with depression
Race appears to be a factor in how doctors communicate with their patients during primary care visits

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