Teaching Patients with Low Literacy Skills

Book excerpt: Abstract: A detailed practical handbook provides a theoretical background, basic information, and guidelines to aid health professionals in planning health teaching strategies for patients who have poor reading comprehension skills. The 10 text chapters cover: the magnitude, nature, health impact, and myths of illiteracy concerning patients; the current understanding of the theories of comprehension; techniques for testing patient comprehension; methods for testing the readability of written materials; guidelines for teaching patients how to improve their reading comprehension skills; how to write for adults with low literacy skills; the use of audiocassette tapes and visual aids as learning tools; guidelines for patient pretesting to aid in the detection of literacy limitations; and the causes, characteristics, and teaching management of learning disabilities, including dyslexia. Numerous illustrations and strategies are included throughout the text.