Health literacy and medication awareness in outpatient neurology

AS RESEARCHERS CONTINUE TO ILLUMINATE THE COMPLEXITIES OF NEUROLOGIC DISORDERS AND THEIR MANAGEMENT, THE CLINICIAN FACES AN EQUALLY INTENSIFYING BURDEN: how to communicate these advances effectively to patients. Health literacy (HL) refers to a person's ability to find, comprehend, and use basic information and resources in order to make appropriate decisions related to his or her health. We describe the first study of low HL prevalence using a validated measure in a cohort of adult neurology outpatients without dementia. Of 201 subjects, 20.5% had low HL and 26% were unable to name any of their medications. In a multivariate regression model controlling for demographic and clinical factors, low HL was associated with lower education, greater disease duration, each 1-point decrease in the Folstein Mini-Mental State Examination, and the presence of a caregiver. As clinicians, we must incorporate specific communication and patient education strategies into our daily practice to truly optimize our patients' care.