what to do book training

“What to Do When Your Child Gets Sick” Training

A Training for Providers Working with Parents of Young Children

Overview

What is Literacy?

What is Health Literacy?

Why is it Important?

What Can We Do About it?

What is literacy?

“An individual’s ability to read, write, and speak in

English and compute and solve problems, at levels

of proficiency necessary to function on the job, in

the family of the individual, and in society.”

1998 Adult Education and Family Literacy Act

Learner’s Story

What is Literacy?

What are some of the things that you should be able to do if you are literate?

Use computers Communicate with a team member on the job Read a newspaper Make informed political decisions Know where to get outside help

Literacy Statistics

Prison inmates who do not have a high school diploma (NCFL, 2002)

Adults on Public Assistance who do not have a high school diploma or GED (National Institute for Literacy)

Over 1.5 million adults in Wisconsin (nearly 39%) qualify for literacy services (National Institute for Literacy, 1998)

46 %

50 %

1.5million

What Does it Feel Like?

n.” said B y. “W r

“Comeo ets ehav di cku i o n.

eto pth sc

eqon’ anot fqodc

W thave her orn.”

cano

What people feel about their limited

reading ability

Ashamed, embarrassed

Less of a person

Stupid, anxious, angry

“Something is wrong with me.”

The Big Secret

% of low literate adults who have not told their:

Children 52%

Friends 62%

Spouse 68%

Health care providers 75%

Co-workers 85%

Identifying “Red Flags”

“I forgot my glasses. I’ll read this when I get

home.”

“Let me bring this home so I can discuss it with my

spouse.”

“I don’t have time to wait today.”

“I don’t feel well.”

Red Flags Often Misjudged

• Incomplete forms

• Frequently missed

appointments

• Lack of follow-through

What is Health Literacy?

“The degree to which individuals have the

capacity to obtain, process, and understand

basic information and services needed to make

appropriate decisions regarding their health.”

- Institute of Medicine, 2004

Literacy vs Health Literacy

Almost everyone will have difficulty with health literacy at some point.

• Times of stress

• Role of medications

Much harder for those that do not:

• Read very well; or

• Speak English as their primary language.

2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy -Health Literacy

12%14%

22%

53%

What is “Proficient”? (12%)

Calculate an employee’s share of health insurance costs for a year, using a table

What is “Intermediate”? (53%)

Determine what time to take a prescription medication

• based on information on the prescription drug label that relates the timing of medication to eating.

What is “Basic”? (22%)

Give two reasons someone should get screened for a disease even if they have no symptoms

• based on information from a clearly written pamphlet

What is “Below Basic”? (14%)

Circle the date of a medical appointment on a hospital appointment slip

REAL PEOPLE WITH REAL PROBLEMS

The Impact on Health

Poorer health knowledge

Poorer health status

Higher mortality

More hospitalizations

Higher health care costs

Money Matters

$106-$238 billion are lost every year on health care costs because of poor communication between patients and providers.

In Wisconsin: $3.4-7.6 billion annuallyVernon, J. et al, University of Connecticut, Oct. 2007

What Can You Do?

Ask Questions

22

Questions Are the

Answer

Good Questions for Good Health

Diagnosis Treatment Context

What Is My

Main

Problem?What Do I

Need to Do?

Why is it

Important for

Me to Do

This?

“What to Do When Your Child Gets

Sick”

Part of a Series

Available in:

• English

• Spanish

• Vietnamese

• Korean

• Chinese

“What to Do When Your Child Gets

Sick”

A recent study showed that giving parents on

Medicaid a copy of the easy to read book, What

To Do When Your Child Gets Sick, and training

them how to use it at home to care for their

child's minor ailments and injuries, reduced

hospital ER visits by more than 50% and saved

more than $550 per family annually.

Project Results

438 surveys

• 695 children

• 15 Head Start Centers

91 % of parents would use the book again

53% of parents used the book instead of calling or visiting

the hospital or clinic

What is in the book?

covers the management of more than 50 common childhood

illnesses, injuries, and health problems

written in easy-to-read language for parents and caregivers of

children from birth to 8 years of age

What is in the book?

for each condition, the following questions are answered:

• What is it?

• What do I see?

• What can I do at home?

• When do I call the doctor or nurse?

• What else should I know about it?

The Project

Hand out books to your parents

Do a brief introduction of the book

Do a brief follow up survey 3 months later

• Incentive -

Distribution

Survey revealed that those who were introduced to the

book were more likely to use it.

What do you do with a book that you are given?

Why would you go back to that book?

What can we do to make it a “Go To” resource?

Who Will Answer My Questions?

Margarete@wisconsinliteracy.org

Nancy.Wheeler@indianheadcaa.org

http: //www.wisconsinliteracy.org

http: //www.healthliteracywisconsin.org

http://www.indianheadcaa.org