Health Literacy Research and Practice (08/03/26) Howard, Amy Kruger; Stines, Elsie; Smith, Jr., Everett; et al.

A pilot interprofessional training program was developed to improve clinical students’ understanding and use of plain language communication and health literacy in a pediatric ambulatory clinic. The program, designed by faculty from multiple disciplines, included an asynchronous orientation, live educational sessions, and patient visits for 55 students from pharmacy, medicine, nursing, social work, physical therapy, and dentistry. Using pre- and post-surveys, researchers found significant improvements in students’ health literacy knowledge (p < .001), with 93.3% reporting the course contributed to their professional development and 81.6% rating the live instruction as effective. Faculty also tracked unclarified medical jargon during patient visits, finding a decrease from an average of 2.8 terms per visit in week 1 to 2.4 in week 2. The findings suggest that incorporating health literacy training into health professions education can increase learners’ knowledge, promote patient-centered communication, and serve as a practical model for improving health outcomes in diverse clinical settings.

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