This was forwarded to me by our Safety Office.  Thought others might be interested.
Subject: The Joint Commission issues white paper on risks of low health literacy
The Joint Commission is issuing a white paper titled "'What Did the Doctor Say?:' Improving Health Literacy to Protect Patient Safety." 
Far too often, ordinary citizens are placed at risk for unsafe care because important health care information is communicated using medical jargon and unclear language that exceed their literacy skills. This paper frames the existing communications gap between patients and caregivers as a series of challenges involving literacy, language, and culture, and suggests multiple steps that need to be taken to narrow or even close this gap.
To view the news release online and download the public policy white paper, click on the link below or copy and paste it into the address bar of your browser:
<http://www.jointcommission.org/NewsRoom/NewsReleases/hl_020607.htm> 

Martha Pedigo, Librarian
Gateway Health System
Health Science Library
1771 Madison Street
Clarksville, TN 37043
Voice:  931-551-1866
Fax:  931-221-2247

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