New test quickly assesses literacy

The complexity of health care today means many patients may not understand vital directions.

By Susan J. Landers, AMNews staff. Jan. 16, 2006.

Washington -- The idea behind a new assessment tool that can help physicians measure a patient's ability to understand essential health care information began as the nutrition label on a pint-sized carton of vanilla ice cream.

It's the basis for the Newest Vital Sign, or NVS, a health literacy screening tool designed to be administered in three minutes during an office visit.

Available in English and Spanish, it was recently tested on more than 1,000 patients and found to yield accurate assessments, according to a study published in the November/December 2005 Annals of Family Medicine.

"I see and all physicians see, whether they know it or not, patients with limited literacy skills," said Barry D. Weiss, MD, professor of family and community medicine at the University of Arizona College of Medicine, Tucson and the study's lead author.

Nearly half of all American adults -- an estimated 90 million people -- have difficulty understanding and acting upon health information, according to a 2004 Institute of Medicine report. Health literacy, the report concluded, is a neglected pathway to high-quality health care.

The American Medical Association and the AMA Foundation published an educational program in 2003 for physicians about patient health literacy. The program includes both a manual by Dr. Weiss and an instructional video. It advises using plain, nonmedical language, slowing down, and using pictures to enhance both patient understanding and recall.