Published online October 27, 2009
PEDIATRICS Vol. 124 Supplement November 2009, pp. S299-S305 (doi:10.1542/peds.2009-1162F)

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Submit a response Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services E-mail this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to My File Cabinet Download to citation manager Request Permissions Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via CrossRef Google Scholar Articles by Turner, T. Articles by Dreyer, B. PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Turner, T. Articles by Dreyer, B. Related Collections Office Practice Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

SUPPLEMENT ARTICLE

Pediatricians and Health Literacy: Descriptive Results From a National Survey

Teri Turner, MD, MPH, MEd^a, William L. Cull, PhD^b, Barbara Bayldon, MD^c, Perri Klass, MD^d, Lee M. Sanders, MD, MPH^e, Mary Pat Frintner, MSPH^b, Mary Ann Abrams, MD, MPH^f and Benard Dreyer, MD^d

^a Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
^b Department of Research, American Academy of Pediatrics, Elk Grove Village, Illinois
^c Section of Primary Care, Children's Memorial Hospital, Chicago, Illinois
^d Department of Pediatrics, New York University School of Medicine and Bellevue Hospital Center, New York, New York
^e Department of Pediatrics, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, Florida
^f Clinical Performance Improvement, Iowa Health System, Des Moines, Iowa

OBJECTIVE: To describe pediatricians' self-reported experiences with health literacy, use of basic and enhanced communication techniques, and perceived barriers to effective communication during office visits.

DESIGN/METHODS: A national, random sample of 1605 nonretired, posttraining American Academy of Pediatrics members were surveyed in 2007 about health literacy and patient communication as part of the Periodic Survey of Fellows. The response rate was 56% (N = 900).

RESULTS: Eight-one percent of the pediatricians were aware of a situation in the previous 12 months in which a parent had not sufficiently understood health information that had been delivered to him or her. In addition, 44% of all pediatricians were aware of a communication-related error in patient care within the previous 12 months. Using simple language (99%), repeating key information (92%), and presenting only 2 or 3 concepts at a time (76%) were the most commonly used communication strategies. Enhanced communication techniques recommended by health literacy experts such as teach-back and indicating key points on written educational materials were used less often (23% and 28%, respectively). The most common reported barriers to effective communication were limited time to discuss information (73%), volume of information (65%), and complexity of information (64%). The majority of physicians rated themselves highly in their ability to identify caregiver understanding (64%), but only 21% rated themselves as very good or excellent in identifying a parent with a literacy problem. Fifty-seven percent of the respondents were interested in training to improve communication skills, and 58% reported that they would be very likely to use easy-to-read written materials, if available from the American Academy of Pediatrics.

CONCLUSIONS: Pediatricians are aware of health literacy–related problems and the need for good communication with families but struggle with time demands to implement these skills. Despite awareness of communication-related errors in patient care, pediatricians report underutilizing enhanced techniques known to improve communication.

---

Key Words: pediatrician practice • health literacy • communication

Abbreviations: AAP—American Academy of Pediatrics

---

Accepted Jul 20, 2009.

CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Facebook    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				M. A. Abrams, P. Klass, and B. P. Dreyer Health Literacy and Children: Introduction Pediatrics, November 1, 2009; 124(Supplement_3): S262 - S264. [Full Text] [PDF]