OSU study: Simple screening questions could predict health literacy

A new study by researchers at the Ohio State University College of Medicine found that simple screening questions could potentially predict limited health literacy (“Screening Questions to Predict Limited Health Literacy: A Cross-Sectional Study of Patients With Diabetes Mellitus,” Annals of Family Medicine, January/February 2009).

"Limited health literacy is increasingly recognized as a barrier to receiving adequate health care," write Kelly Marvin Jeppesen, MPH, from the Ohio State University College of Medicine in Columbus, and colleagues. "Our objective was to identify which screening questions and demographics independently predict limited health literacy and could thus help clinicians individualize their patient education."