Evaluating Health Literacy

At one point in your life - whether you recall it or not - you didn't know what the liver did or where it was located in your body. Most Americans still don't. So why should you think the term "lymphocyte" is meaningful to a prospective participant? Not only is the term unfamiliar - so is the concept. On the other hand, there will be prospective participants with clinical experience that has given them an impressive command of medical or behavioral jargon and concepts. That is a bonus, since it makes the RTM's job of education easier. It is the RTM's responsibility to determine if the participant understands the information that has been presented. Health literacy is critical to that understanding. The video below demonstrates methods for the PI/RTM who recognizes a possible literacy issue:

Click on the picture above to view the video