Date of Award

1-1-2018

Document Type

Open Access Thesis

Degree Name

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

Department

Yale University School of Nursing

First Advisor

Lois Sadler

Abstract

The healthcare system requires consumers to be active participants in their care by making decisions in conjunction with their provider; managing complex medication regimens and scheduling appropriate medical visits in a timely fashion. Health literacy for racial and ethnic minority elders, is an often ignored national problem that must be addressed through research-driven initiatives that are tied to metrics that measure improvement across providers, health plans, and healthcare organizations. To address this problem, the authors implemented an adaptation of two evidenced-based educational interventions into a practice improvement project. The intervention format included a self-guided training on health literacy and ethnogeriatrics for anesthesia providers in clinical practice that was initially reviewed and evaluated by an expert panel. A pilot training was conducted with a convenience sample of 26 anesthesia providers who care for geriatric patients from ethnic and racial minority backgrounds. The educational intervention resulted in an increase in knowledge-based test scores, and an increase in a health literacy oriented attitude. However, anesthesia providers were less likely to use the teach-back or show-me method with low literate patients. Recommendations for future work include revisions to the education intervention and testing with a larger sample, providing an in-person training course, and disbursing the training to other clinicians.

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