Darren DeWalt, MD, is practicing physician and associate professor in the division of general internal medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He researches ways that patients with low-literacy can self-manage chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart failure, COPD, and asthma. He also looks at how practices can achieve better outcomes through patient-physician communication and health system design. Dr. DeWalt is the lead author of AHRQ’s Health Literacy Universal Precautions Toolkit.
In this podcast, Dr. DeWalt talks with Helen Osborne about:
- Universal precautions and health literacy. How combining these concepts can help patients better understand health information.
- A tool to “diagnose” if your practice has low health literacy.
- Ways to prioritize health literacy problems and implement effective solutions.
More Ways to Learn:
- Health Literacy Universal Precautions Toolkit. Download free PDF at www.ahrq.gov/healthliteracytoolkit
- Learn more about AHRQ’s health literacy work at http://www.ahrq.gov/health-care-information/topics/topic-health-literacy.html
- Additional resources at http://www.nchealthliteracy.org/toolkit/
- Health Literacy Out Loud Podcast #16: Terry Davis Talks About “Baby Steps,” Action Planning. At http://www.healthliteracy.com/hlol-action-planning
Health Literacy from A to Z: Practical Ways to Communicate Your Health Message, Second Edition (Updated 2018), by Helen Osborne. Relevant chapters include: 1, 2, 4, 27.
Read a written transcript of this podcast.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download