Developing Health Literacy Communication Practices for Medical Students

Introduction: Health literacy and its associated communication practices are critical to patient-centered care and have been endorsed by various associations as important for health professional training. Unfortunately, there is little published literature on how to teach health literacy to medical students and health professionals.

Methods: We developed a two-part curriculum during a required module for medical students including an introductory session in their first year and a skill-building workshop in their second year. In the workshop, students studied, observed, and practiced three health literacy communication techniques: teach-back, avoiding jargon, and effective questioning.

Results: The workshop was implemented with approximately 100 second-year medical students as part of a course in their required curriculum. Results of a Wilcoxon rank sum test of pre/post survey responses showed a statistically significant move towards conviction of importance and confidence in ability to use three health literacy techniques.

Discussion: A skills-based workshop on health literacy skills can improve medical students' conviction and confidence in using health literacy communication practices.