Communicating with consumersGeraldine Manser2020-12-03T16:36:18+11:00
One of the key roles of health professionals is to give patients information about their health condition, treatment options and what the next steps are. Patients are often presented with a large amount of information to process and understand. People can struggle to understand new medical information and make the decisions required when they:
Unfortunately, the nature of clinical settings means this is the reality of how most information is presented to consumers. Research shows that most patients, regardless of their health literacy skills, remember approximately 20-60% of information provided in a clinical setting. Almost half of the information that is remembered is incorrect[i]. The more information presented, the lower the proportion correctly recalled[ii].
Poor recall is more common when health care professionals:
Many consumers find it hard to discuss health matters and follow advice provided by health care professionals. This can be because they:
This can make it hard to take medications safely, prepare for diagnostic tests or surgical procedures, understand the importance and sequence of follow-up tests and appointments, and understand how to apply suggested life-style changes to their unique circumstances. Healthcare professionals often under-estimate[v]:
Most consumers will be reluctant to tell you that they don’t understand the health information you give them. They may fear that you will judge them negatively for their lack of understanding, or worry that it will have a negative effect on their relationship with you – for example, that you may exclude them from shared decision making.[vi] What do they already know?The first step in informing or educating consumers about their health condition is to find out what they already know or believe and build on their existing understanding. Sometimes people will have incorrect knowledge or beliefs about their health condition. Before you can give them new information, you need to deal with the incorrect knowledge, recognising that they may have “known” it for a long time and there may be valid reasons for them to have that understanding or belief about their health. If you try to add new information that doesn’t fit with their existing “knowledge” or beliefs, they will be more likely to disregard or reject the correct information because it doesn’t fit with their understanding. Improving communicationTo help improve communication, try to:
Relatively simple changes can make your communication much more effective.
Explore more about communicating with consumers on the following pages: ResourcesAustralian Indigenous Health Info Net This website provides information on how to appropriately engage with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and communities. The Culture Ways section provides information on the holistic nature of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander concept of health and covers key concepts – like traditional healing and medicine, Men’s Business and Women’s Business. The Working with Community section focuses on how non-Indigenous people can respectfully work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and communities, and looks at various cross-cultural issues, cultural learning and respect, ethics, and best-practice. [i] Kessels, Roy P C. “Patients’ memory for medical information.” Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine vol. 96,5 (2003): 219-22. https://doi.org/10.1258/jrsm.96.5.219 [ii] McCarthy, D. M., Waite, K. R., Curtis, L. M., Engel, K. G., Baker, D. W., & Wolf, M. S. (2012). What did the doctor say? Health literacy and recall of medical instructions. Medical care, 50(4), 277–282. https://doi.org/10.1097/MLR.0b013e318241e8e1 [iii] Schillinger D, Bindman A, Wang F, Stewart A, Piette J: Functional health literacy and the quality of physician-patient communication among diabetes patients. Patient Education & Counselling 2004, 52(3):315-323 [iv] Laws MB, Lee Y, Taubin T, Rogers WH, Wilson IB (2018) Factors associated with patient recall of key information in ambulatory specialty care visits: Results of an innovative methodology. PLOS ONE 13(2): e0191940. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0191940 [v] http://www.dhhs.tas.gov.au/publichealth/health_literacy/health_literacy_toolkit/two-minute_tips [vi] Easton, P., Entwistle, V.A. & Williams, B. How the stigma of low literacy can impair patient-professional spoken interactions and affect health: insights from a qualitative investigation. BMC Health Serv Res 13, 319 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1186/1472-6963-13-319 Last Updated on 3 December, 2020. |