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| Briefings on Patient Safety |
| March 2008 |
| Changing the view on health literacy |
| Cezanne Garcia, MPH, likes to recall an anecdote from one of her patient advisors to illustrate why health literacy needs to be integrated into all aspects of a hospital stay, and why a large part of health literacy is understanding the fluid needs of patients and families.
"This woman had brought her grandfather into the hospital and saw a 'no cell phone use' sign," says Garcia, who serves as the associate director of patient and family centered care for the University of Washington Medical Center (UWMC) in Seattle. "Instead of thinking about the reason for not using cell phones, because they interfere with the equipment, she said, 'I was instead thinking about that I just had to race to the hospital because I was his primary support, I was thinking about who's going to pick up my kids from school, how am I going to take care of his dog, and also, I'm concerned about how my grandfather is doing and how long his hospitalization will be. Meanwhile I'm taking fleeting glances at these signs.' All of a sudden it makes the message and how we give feedback far different." |
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