ADA 2011: How Health-Literate are your patients?

Just 12% of people nationwide are health literate, according to Gary Podschun, the ADA’s manager of community outreach and cultural competence. He along with Todd Phillips, MS, deputy director of the Center for Social Marketing and Behavior Change at the Academy for Educational Development, health literacy strategies for dental practices during Wednesday morning CE classes at the ADA Annual Session in Las Vegas.

Just 12% of people nationwide are health literate, according to Gary Podschun, the ADA’s manager of community outreach and cultural competence. He along with Todd Phillips, MS, deputy director of the Center for Social Marketing and Behavior Change at the Academy for Educational Development, health literacy strategies for dental practices during Wednesday morning CE classes at the ADA Annual Session in Las Vegas.

The ADA recently implemented a health literacy action plan, said Podschun. “It’s designed to promote methods to improve communications,” he explained.

During their interactive session, they discussed the impact of limited health literacy on oral health outcomes; described the impact of poor patient-provider communication on adherence and patient satisfaction; and identified practical solutions to improve patient-provider communication.