Evaluation of communication techniques used by HIV specialty providers caring for patients with low health literacy in an outpatient HIV clinical setting

Abstract

According to the Agency of Healthcare Research and Quality, nine out of ten adults lack the literacy skills necessary to manage their health. Racial and ethnic minorities are more likely than white adults to have below-basic health literacy.  This demographic is also highly representative of the current HIV epidemic in the United States. Studies suggest that health care providers may need additional training in communicating with individuals with low health literacy in order to improve health outcomes and reduce health disparities. This performance improvement project evaluated the integration of a health literacy-screening tool into an HIV outpatient clinic and evaluated the outcome of a workshop designed to enhance HIV specialty providers’ communication skills when working with persons with low health literacy.