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The Importance Of Identifying And Adapting Health Literacy

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The Importance of Identifying and Adapting to Patient Health Literacy in Effective Workplace Communication

Name: Georgia Pearson
Student Number: n9994769
Course Code & Name: PYB007 Communication for Healthcare Professionals
Tutor: Michael Rowlands
Tutorial: Wednesday, 1500 – 1700, N518
Word Count:
Date: 10/04/2017

Queensland University of Technology
The Importance of Identifying and Adapting to Patient Health Literacy in Effective Workplace Communication
Effective communication plays an integral role in the workplace of health professionals. Effective communication allows professionals to form and develop relationships with colleagues and patients. I recently had the opportunity to speak to a Specialist Geriatrician, and …show more content…

Dr. Pearson gave the example that when a patient or a patient’s family is experiencing trouble with communication, he limits the use of medical terminology and instead uses simple, clear explanations with no qualifiers, to deliver the maximum amount of information in a short space of time.
Relating to the Interview Content
Prior to the interview, I had some, but limited, understanding of the importance of adapting your communication to suit a patient’s health literacy. While I have limited experience in the same setting as Dr. Pearson, I do have 2 years’ experience working in a physiotherapy clinic. In the clinic, we came across a very diverse group of clients, and each client understood the information we gave them differently. Dr. Pearson explains that when communicating with colleagues, and other health professionals, he uses more complex, medical terminology – as the person he is communicating with will be able to understand exactly what he is saying. In the physiotherapy clinic, we would do the same, as it allows for complete and clear understanding of what the patient’s condition is, and the treatment they require (Markham, 2013).
Dr. Pearson went on to explain that when he would visit or attend to patients from different cultures, he would use simpler language to still deliver the same information, but in an easier to understand format. Dr. Pearson gave the example that when treating patients with low literacy or brain disorders, he would

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