| This practice improvement project was an examination of the health literacy levels and preferred learning styles of adults age 65 years and older, using a convenience sample of 28 adult residents from two assisted living facilities located in the Midwestern United States. The Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine (REALM) was used to assess health literacy. Learning style preference was assessed by asking residents if they preferred visual, audio, written, interactive, or a combination of methods when learning new information.;The mean REALM score was 61 on a scale of 0 to 66. Sixty-four percent of the participants (n=18) read at the high school level. The remaining 36% (n=10) read at grade eight or lower, indicating the likelihood of limited health literacy. The majority of participants (n=16; 57%) preferred a combination of learning methods. Fourteen percent (n=4) preferred written, eighteen percent (n=5) audio, and ten percent (n=3) interactive methods of learning. None of the participants preferred visual learning methods.;Health literacy is important for successful participation in the US health care system. Adequate levels of health literacy are essential for patients to understand and act on health information and instructions provided by health care providers. Unfortunately, an estimated 90 million US adults may lack the literacy skills to effectively function in the health care environment (Kutner et al., 2007).;Inadequate health literacy has been associated with increased rates of hospitalization, over utilization of emergency department services, poorer health status, and decreased knowledge of disease management (Hixon, 2004; Keenan, 2005). Research studies have documented associations between inadequate functional health literacy and less than optimal health care outcomes including increased morbidity and mortality (Baker et al., 2007; Sudore et al., 2006).;Health care providers can minimize the negative consequences of limited health literacy by assessing the literacy level and preferred learning style of patients and adjusting teaching strategies accordingly. Future research in the provision of health information based on preferred learning styles and the effect on patients' health literacy levels could help in guiding interventions to improve communication of health information and reducing disparities created by limited health literacy. |
