yesterday in the Baker University Center Ballroom.
After having a heart attack, an Ohio State University faculty member came to Sandra Cornett, director of OSU's Area Health Education Center, who taught him to manage his rest and activity schedules while in recovery.
The day after he was released from the hospital, Cornett received a call that shifted her perception of patient communication.
He wanted to know whether he could climb to the C-deck of the stadium to watch the football game (which) was definitely too much exercise for him Cornett said. It hit home for me (because) no matter how good I thought my teaching was
a very well-educated man had problems understanding it.
In an effort to alleviate the problem of health literacy, the Area Health Education Center chapter at Ohio University's College of Osteopathic Medicine invited Cornett to present on the topic in the program, Health Literacy: Helping Patients Understand
yesterday in the Baker University Center Ballroom. Other presenters included Sharon Reynolds, director of OU's literacy center, and Nicole Ganz, member of OU-COM's Community Health Programs.
Cornett's presentations, Health Literacy: It's Time to Take it Seriously! and Writing for Easy-to-Read
defined the health literacy problem and appropriate writing styles for health information. She spoke from 45 years of experience as a nurse and patient education manager at OSU.
It's not easy
even if you are in the field of health
to understand some of the nuances that we are trying to get across to people
she said. Consequently
patients don't take adequate care of themselves because they truly don't know how to follow some of the instructions.
Ganz has spent the last few years working for the Health Department in California rewriting literature, such as brochures and pamphlets, in a way that is easier to understand. In her presentation, Health Literacy: Putting it on Paper
Ganz discussed the need for an understandable format to compliment good writing, Cornett added.
(She) speaks on literacy in terms of its format
