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Web site spotlight: Ask three questions to better understand patients' needs

Staff Development Weekly: Insight on Evidence-Based Practice in Education, February 20, 2009

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Staff members at Iowa Health System (IHS) in Des Moines identified poor health literacy as an ongoing issue among patients. This prompted staff at IHS to begin developing a system that would “improve the health of the people and communities we serve,” says Mary Ann Abrams, MD, MPH, health management consultant in the IHS department of clinical performance improvement.

IHS began improving patient health literacy by creating a program called The Health Literacy Collaborative (HLC). This program helps educate IHS staff members about the importance of communicating health information clearly to patients and family members regardless of their health literacy level. By developing the HLC, the aim of IHS was to “create a patient- and family-centered environment fostering effective communication that enables individuals to read, understand, and act on healthcare information,” says Abrams.

One of the programs that IHS is most proud of is the “Ask Me 3™” technique.

“Ask Me 3 is a program designed to help promote shared information between healthcare providers and patients,” says Robert Dickerson, MSHSA, RRT, performance improvement specialist at IHS.

Originally developed by the Partnership for Clear Health Communication at the National Patient Safety Foundation™ in Boston, this program teaches staff members to encourage patients to ask their providers the following three essential questions to better understand their illness and any other concerns that may arise:

1. What is my main problem?
2. What do I need to do?
3. Why is it important for me to do this?

The three questions can be found on posters strategically placed on the walls throughout IHS.

Editor’s note: This excerpt was adapted from “Health System addresses health literacy by adopting patient-centered approaches” found in the Reading Room at www.StrategiesForNurseManagers.com. Get a free trial membership that will give you 30 days to test drive all the exciting features on the Web site.

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