Special Populations
The August issue of the Journal of General Internal Medicine focuses on health care literacy and its effect on a number of issues, including health disparities and the prevalence of preventable diseases. In a foreword, U.S. Surgeon General Richard Carmona writes, "Eliminating health disparities and advancing effective primary and secondary prevention are predicated on increasing health literacy," adding that the U.S. must improve health literacy to address "such health concerns as obesity, diabetes, heart disease and cancer." A list of the studies appears below.
- "Advancing the Field of Health Literacy" (Kripalani et al., Journal of General Internal Medicine, August 2006).
- "Brief Report: Screening Items To Identify Patients With Limited Health Literacy Skills" (Wallace et al., Journal of General Internal Medicine, August 2006).
- "Health Literacy, Antiretroviral Adherence and HIV-RNA Suppression: a Longitudinal Perspective" (Paasche-Orlow et al., Journal of General Internal Medicine, August 2006).
- "Health Literacy and Anticoagulation-related Outcomes Among Patients Taking Warfarin" (Fang et al., Journal of General Internal Medicine, August 2006).
- "Health Literacy as a Predictor of Follow-Up After an Abnormal Pap Smear: A Prospective Study" (Lindau et al., Journal of General Internal Medicine, August 2006).
- "Impact of Health Literacy on Depressive Symptoms and Mental Health-Related: Quality of Life Among Adults With Addiction" (Lincoln et al., Journal of General Internal Medicine, August 2006).
- "Impact of Health Literacy on Longitudinal Asthma Outcomes" (Mancuso/Rincon, Journal of General Internal Medicine, August 2006).
- "Impact of Health Literacy on Socioeconomic and Racial Differences in Health in an Elderly Population" (Howard et al., Journal of General Internal Medicine, August 2006).
- "Importance of Adult Literacy in Understanding Health Disparities" (Sentell/Halpin, Journal of General Internal Medicine, August 2006).
- "Limited Literacy and Mortality in the Elderly: The Health, Aging and Body Composition Study" (Sudore et al., Journal of General Internal Medicine, August 2006).
- "Literacy Education as Treatment for Depression in Patients with Limited Literacy and Depression: A Randomized Controlled Trial" (Weiss et al., Journal of General Internal Medicine, August 2006).
- "Low Literacy Impairs Comprehension of Prescription Drug Warning Labels" (Davis et al., Journal of General Internal Medicine, August 2006).
- "Predictors of Medication Self-Management Skill in a Low-Literacy Population" (Kripalani et al., Journal of General Internal Medicine, August 2006).
- "Use of a Modified Informed Consent Process Among Vulnerable Patients: A Descriptive Study" (Sudore et al., Journal of General Internal Medicine, August 2006).