"Health & Medical News"

Washington — Patients who mistake the meaning of basic medical terms often fail to obtain proper care until health issues mushroom into huge problems. It’s such a major issue that the U.S. Senate may take action this year to tackle it.

Last month, a bipartisan group of senators introduced the National Health Literacy Act of 2007. The bill’s primary sponsor, Sen. Norm Coleman (R, Minn.), plans to recruit more Democratic and Republican co-sponsors in the Senate with the hope of holding a vote on the measure in 2008, according to his press office.

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Washington — Complexity in the health care system is widely acknowledged as a barrier to effective care for many people, and now it’s time to simplify, simplify, simplify, said participants at a recent conference, Advancesin Health Literacy.

With researchers having already demonstrated some serious problems associated with poor health literacy — more emergency department visits and hospitalizations, and patients’ inability to follow physicians’ directions — they are now shifting their focus to finding solutions. Several were presented at the conference, co-sponsored by the American College of Physicians Foundation and the Institute of Medicine and held Nov. 28 in Washington, D.C.

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Patients frequently confront difficulties finding the information they need on prescription drug labels. The resulting misunderstandings can make it more likely a drug will be taken incorrectly. For these reasons, physicians and other advocates for improved health literacy are contemplating the standardization of medication labels.

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Middle-school students in North Carolina will receive media-literacy education on alcohol ads and other media that promote underage drinking under a new state initiative, the Raleigh News & Observer reported Sept. 12.

The program, called “Media Ready,” features 10 lessons designed to be delivered in school and was unveiled this week by First Lady Mary Easley and acting U.S. Surgeon General Kenneth Moritsugu. The curriculum already is in use in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro and Chatham schools.

Popularity: 5% [?]