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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2014. Implications of Health Literacy for Public Health: Workshop Summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18756.
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IMPLICATIONS OF HEALTH
LITERACY FOR PUBLIC HEALTH

WORKSHOP SUMMARY

Maria Hewitt and Lyla M. Hernandez, Rapporteurs

Roundtable on Health Literacy

Board on Population Health and Public Health Practice

INSTITUTE OF MEDICINE
              OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES

THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS

Washington, D.C.

www.nap.edu

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2014. Implications of Health Literacy for Public Health: Workshop Summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18756.
×

THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS   500 Fifth Street, NW   Washington, DC 20001

NOTICE: The workshop that is the subject of this workshop summary was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine.

This activity was supported by contracts between the National Academy of Sciences and Aetna Foundation; the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (HHSP233200900537P); America’s Health Insurance Plans; California Dental Association; East Bay Community Foundation (Kaiser Permanente); Eli Lilly and Company; Health Resources and Services Administration (HHSH25034004T); Humana; Johnson & Johnson; Merck and Co., Inc.; North Shore–Long Island Jewish Health System; Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion; and UnitedHealth Group. The views presented in this publication are those of the rapporteur and do not necessarily reflect the views of the organizations or agencies that provided support for the activity.

International Standard Book Number-13: 978-0-309-30365-1
International Standard Book Number-10: 0-309-30365-6

Additional copies of this workshop summary are available for sale from the National Academies Press, 500 Fifth Street, NW, Keck 360, Washington, DC 20001; (800) 624-6242 or (202) 334-3313; http://www.nap.edu.

For more information about the Institute of Medicine, visit the IOM home page at: www.iom.edu.

Copyright 2014 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.

Printed in the United States of America

The serpent has been a symbol of long life, healing, and knowledge among almost all cultures and religions since the beginning of recorded history. The serpent adopted as a logotype by the Institute of Medicine is a relief carving from ancient Greece, now held by the Staatliche Museen in Berlin.

Suggested citation: IOM (Institute of Medicine). 2014. Implications of health literacy for public health: Workshop summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2014. Implications of Health Literacy for Public Health: Workshop Summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18756.
×

Knowing is not enough; we must apply.
Willing is not enough; we must do.
”      

                                                —Goethe

image

INSTITUTE OF MEDICINE
              OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES

Advising the Nation. Improving Health.

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2014. Implications of Health Literacy for Public Health: Workshop Summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18756.
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THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES

Advisers to the Nation on Science, Engineering, and Medicine

The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. Upon the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and technical matters. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone is president of the National Academy of Sciences.

The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. It is autonomous in its administration and in the selection of its members, sharing with the National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal government. The National Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs aimed at meeting national needs, encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior achievements of engineers. Dr. C. D. Mote, Jr., is president of the National Academy of Engineering.

The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to secure the services of eminent members of appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. The Institute acts under the responsibility given to the National Academy of Sciences by its congressional charter to be an adviser to the federal government and, upon its own initiative, to identify issues of medical care, research, and education. Dr. Victor J. Dzau is president of the Institute of Medicine.

The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy’s purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone and Dr. C. D. Mote, Jr., are chair and vice chair, respectively, of the National Research Council.

www.national-academies.org

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2014. Implications of Health Literacy for Public Health: Workshop Summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18756.
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PLANNING COMMITTEE ON IMPLICATIONS OF HEALTH LITERACY FOR PUBLIC HEALTH1

OLIVIA CARTER-POKRAS, Associate Professor, University of Maryland, College Park, School of Public Health

JENNIFER DILLAHA, Director, Department of Health, Center for Health Advancement

PATRICK McGARRY, Senior Manager, Health Activities and Programs, American Academy of Family Physicians

TERRI ANN PARNELL, President of Health Literacy and Patient Education, North Shore–Long Island Jewish Health System

ANDREW PLEASANT, Health Literacy and Research Director, Canyon Ranch Institute

LINDSEY ROBINSON, President, California Dental Association

RIMA RUDD, Senior Lecturer on Health Literacy, Education, and Policy, Harvard School of Public Health

STEVEN RUSH, Director, Health Literacy Innovations, UnitedHealth Group

____________

1 Institute of Medicine planning committees are solely responsible for organizing the workshop, identifying topics, and choosing speakers. The responsibility for the published workshop summary rests with the workshop rapporteurs and the institution.

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2014. Implications of Health Literacy for Public Health: Workshop Summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18756.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2014. Implications of Health Literacy for Public Health: Workshop Summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18756.
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ROUNDTABLE ON HEALTH LITERACY1

GEORGE ISHAM (Chair), Medical Director and Chief Health Officer, HealthPartners

WILMA ALVARADO-LITTLE, Director, Community Engagement/Outreach Center for the Elimination of Minority Health Disparities, University of Albany

CINDY BRACH, Senior Health Policy Researcher, Center for Delivery, Organization, and Markets, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

GEMIRALD DAUS, Public Health Analyst, Health Resources and Services Administration, Office of Health Equity

DARREN DEWALT, Associate Professor of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

BENARD P. DREYER, Professor of Pediatrics, New York University School of Medicine, and Chair, American Academy of Pediatrics Health Literacy Program Advisory Committee

ELIZABETH FOWLER, Vice President, Global Health Policy, Johnson & Johnson Co.

LAURIE FRANCIS, Senior Director of Clinic Operations and Quality, Oregon Primary Care Association

LORI HALL, Consultant, Health Education, Eli Lilly and Company

LINDA HARRIS, Team Leader, Health Communication and eHealth Team, Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

BETSY L. HUMPHREYS, Deputy Director, National Library of Medicine

MARGARET LOVELAND, Global Medical Affairs, Merck & Co., Inc.

PATRICK MCGARRY, Assistant Division Director, Scientific Activities Division, American Academy of Family Physicians

RUTH PARKER, Professor of Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine

TERRI ANN PARNELL, Vice President, Health Literacy and Patient Education, North Shore–Long Island Jewish Health System

KIM PARSON, Consumer Experience, Humana, Inc.

KAVITA PATEL, Managing Director for Clinical Transformation and Delivery, The Brookings Institution

CLARENCE PEARSON, Consultant, Global Health Leadership and Management

____________

1 Institute of Medicine forums and roundtables do not issue, review, or approve individual documents. The responsibility for the published workshop summary rests with the workshop rapporteurs and the institution.

Page viii Cite
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2014. Implications of Health Literacy for Public Health: Workshop Summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18756.
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SUSAN PISANO, Vice President of Communications, America’s Health Insurance Plans

ANDREW PLEASANT, Health Literacy and Research Director, Canyon Ranch Institute

LINDSEY ROBINSON, President, California Dental Association

RIMA RUDD, Department of Society, Human Development and Health, Harvard School of Public Health

STEVEN RUSH, Director, Health Literacy Innovations Program, UnitedHealth Group

PAUL M. SCHYVE, Senior Vice President, The Joint Commission

PATRICK WAYTE, Vice President, Marketing and Health Education, American Heart Association

WINSTON F. WONG, Medical Director, Community Benefit, Disparities Improvement and Quality Initiatives, Kaiser Permanente

Study Staff

LYLA M. HERNANDEZ, Roundtable Director

MELISSA FRENCH, Associate Program Officer

ANDREW LEMERISE, Research Associate

ANGELA MARTIN, Senior Program Assistant

ROSE MARIE MARTINEZ, Director, Board on Population Health and Public Health Practice

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2014. Implications of Health Literacy for Public Health: Workshop Summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18756.
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Reviewers

This workshop summary has been reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise, in accordance with procedures approved by the National Research Council’s Report Review Committee. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the institution in making its published workshop summary as sound as possible and to ensure that the workshop summary meets institutional standards for objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the process. We wish to thank the following individuals for their review of this workshop summary:

Helen Osborne, Health Literacy Consulting

Dionne J. Richardson, Mississippi State Department of Health

Steven Rush, UnitedHealth Group

Carol Teutsch, Health Care Institute

Although the reviewers listed above have provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they did not see the final draft of the workshop summary before its release. The review of this workshop summary was overseen by Hugh Tilson, University of North Carolina School of Public Health. Appointed by the Institute of Medicine, he was responsible for

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2014. Implications of Health Literacy for Public Health: Workshop Summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18756.
×

making certain that an independent examination of this workshop summary was carried out in accordance with institutional procedures and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content of this workshop summary rests entirely with the rapporteurs and the institution.

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2014. Implications of Health Literacy for Public Health: Workshop Summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18756.
×

Acknowledgments

Without the support of the sponsors of the Institute of Medicine Roundtable on Health Literacy it would not have been possible to plan and conduct the workshop on health literacy and public health which this report summarizes. Sponsorship for the Roundtable comes from Aetna Foundation, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, America’s Health Insurance Plans, California Dental Association, East Bay Community Foundation (Kaiser Permanente), Eli Lilly and Company, Health Resources and Services Administration, Humana, Johnson & Johnson, Merck and Co., Inc., North Shore–Long Island Jewish Health System, Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, and UnitedHealth Group.

The Roundtable wishes to express its appreciation to the speakers at the workshop who provided presentations that stimulated discussion and encouraged exploration of issues surrounding the use of health literacy to facilitate public health interventions. The speakers are Chloe E. Bird, Don Bishop, Susan Bockrath, Jennifer Cabe, Olivia Carter-Pokras, Gabriel M. Cortez, Jennifer Dillaha, Torrie T. Harris, Alice Horowitz, Linda Neuhauser, Andrew Pleasant, Rima Rudd, Dean Schillinger, and Jose Vadi.

The Roundtable would also like to thank the members of the planning committee for their efforts in developing an excellent workshop agenda. Members of the planning committee were Olivia Carter-Pokras, Jennifer Dillaha, Patrick McGarry, Terri Ann Parnell, Andrew Pleasant, Lindsey Robinson, Rima Rudd, and Steven Rush.

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Health literacy is the degree to which individuals can obtain, process, and understand the basic health information and services they need to make appropriate health decisions. Nearly half of all American adults - 90 million people - have inadequate health literacy to navigate the health care system. Implications of Health Literacy for Public Health is the summary of a workshop convened by the Institute of Medicine Roundtable on Health Literacy in November 2013 that focused on the implications of health literacy for the mission and essential services of public health. The workshop featured the presentation of a commissioned paper on health literacy activities under way in public health organizations. Other presentations examined the implications of health literacy for the mission and essential services of public health, for example, community health and safety, disease prevention, disaster management, or health communication. This report includes the commissioned paper and summaries of the workshop presentations.

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