Patients who had negative beliefs about medications, who were <65 years of age, or who had low medication self-efficacy reported low medication adherence.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Poorly designed labels and packaging are key contributors to medication errors. To identify attributes of labels and dosing tools that could be improved, we examined the extent to which dosing error rates are affected by tool characteristics (ie, type, marking complexity) and discordance between units of measurement on labels and dosing tools; along with differences by health literacy and language.

Background Age and race-related disparities in technology use have been well documented, but less is known about how health literacy influences technology access and use. Objective To assess the association between patients’ literacy skills and mobile phone ownership, use of text messaging, internet access, and use of the internet for health-related purposes. Methods A secondary analysis utilizing data from 1,077 primary care patients enrolled in two, multi-site studies from 2011–2013. Patients were administered an in-person, structured interview. Results Patients with adequate health literacy were more likely to own a mobile phone or smartphone in comparison to patients with low or marginal literacy (mobile phone ownership: 96.8% vs. 95.2% vs. 90.1%, respectively, p<.001; smartphone ownership: 70.6% vs. 62.5% vs. 40.1%, p<.001) and to report text messaging (78.6% vs. 75.2% vs. 53.1%, p<.001). They were also more likely to have access to the internet from their home (92.1% vs. 74.7% vs. 44.9%, p<.001) and to report using the internet for email (93.0% vs. 75.7% vs. 38.5%, p<.001), browsing the web (93.9% vs. 80.2% vs. 44.5%, p<.001), accessing health information (86.3% vs. 75.5% vs. 40.8%, p<.001), and communicating with providers (54.2% vs. 29.8% vs. 13.0%, p<.001). Relationships remained significant in multivariable analyses controlling for relevant covariates. Conclusions Results reveal that literacy-related disparities in technology access and use are widespread, with lower literate patients being less likely to own smartphones or to access and use the internet, particularly for health reasons. Future interventions should consider these disparities and ensure that health promotion activities do not further exacerbate disparities.

BACKGROUND: There is increasing concern over the risk of consumer unintentional misuse of non-prescription (a.k.a. 'over-the-counter') medications containing acetaminophen, which could lead to acute liver failure. OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of potential misuse and overdose of over-the-counter medications containing acetaminophen, either alone or in combination. DESIGN: Cross-sectional, structured interviews with literacy assessment. SETTING: One academic and one community-based general internal medicine practice in Chicago, IL, and one academic general internal medicine practice and a public hospital clinic in Atlanta, GA. PATIENTS: Five hundred adults seeking primary care, ages 18-80. MEASUREMENT: Demonstration of how and when patients would take over-the-counter medications containing acetaminophen, alone or in combination with one another, over a 24-hour period. RESULTS: Overall, 23.8 % of participants demonstrated they would overdose on a single over-the-counter acetaminophen product by exceeding a dose of four grams in a 24-hour period; 5.2 % made serious errors by dosing out more than six grams. In addition, 45.6 % of adults demonstrated they would overdose by 'double-dipping' with two acetaminophen-containing products. In multivariable analyses, limited literacy (Relative Risk Ratio (RR) 1.65, 95 % Confidence Interval (CI) 1.03-2.66) and heavy acetaminophen use in the past six months (RR 1.70, 95 % CI 1.10-2.64) were independently associated with overdosing over-the-counter products. CONCLUSION: Misunderstanding of the active ingredient and proper instructions for over-the-counter medications containing acetaminophen is common. The potential for errors and adverse events associated with unintentional misuse of these products is substantial, particularly among heavy users of acetaminophen and those with limited literacy.

Low health literacy negatively affects processes and outcomes of care. Physicians do not routinely use communication techniques recommended for use with low health literate patients. This study was conducted to compare the self-reported and actual use of clear verbal communication among medical residents and to identify characteristics associated with clear communication. Residents self-assessed their communication behaviors and then completed a low health literacy standardized patient encounter. Answers on the self-assessment were compared with behaviors observed in the standardized patient encounter. Residents (N = 82) reported frequent use of techniques recommended for clear verbal communication, including plain language (88%) and teach-back (48%). However, during the standardized patient encounter, they used an average of 2 jargon terms per minute, and only 22% used teach-back. No resident characteristics consistently predicted better communication. In conclusion, the study found that medical residents used clear communication techniques infrequently and tended to overestimate the clarity with which they communicate.