Keep it clear and simple for your patients

Patients may not understand what doctors are telling them; a CME video helps physicians make sure the message is getting across.

By Myrle Croasdale, AMNews staff. Aug. 5, 2002.

A sharply dressed woman, probably in her 60s, is asked what medications she takes. She says lithium. No, she doesn't know what it's for, she just follows doctor's orders.

Well, she isn't taking lithium, she's on Lipitor. She isn't a manic depressive, she has high cholesterol. The point? People may look like they understand what their doctor is telling them, but often they don't have a clue.

This and other patient interviews are captured on a continuing medical education video on patients' literacy about their health care -- a video that started out as a self-study CME course but has taken hold among physicians and health care administrators and been transformed into CME presentations at conferences and medical staff training sessions.

"Give doctors something practical to use, and they will," said Joanne Schwartzberg, MD, director of aging and community health in the AMA's medicine and public health section. "We've gotten a number of calls telling us they were using our materials for a class. This just goes to show you, you never really know how [materials] will be used."

The video comes in a kit that includes a study on health literacy, fact sheets and a discussion guide. Completing the enclosed CME questionnaire can garner a physician up to two hours of category 1 credit.

Anecdotal reports suggest the kit has been used as the basis for many credit-worthy classes at conferences.

"They call and say they used our fact sheets as slides for residency training programs and Grand Rounds. One group wanted to know how to turn it into a CME class for nurses," Dr. Schwartzberg said. [...]