HJNO Jul/Aug 2021

HealthLiteracy Q&A Sometimes being the smartest person in the room may not mean you’re the best communicator or explainer. Good gracious, humans haveadifficult timecommunicating in the best of circumstances. Throw in the stress of someone being a patient of yours, having something bad happen or hearing bad news and we have the perfect storm of much of what you are saying never being heard, understood or preformed the way you intended. And, that is for English speaking and reading folks under the best of circumstances — add a hearing, mental health issue, language or literacy barrier and, well, there is no doubt we could all improve in this department. We thought it time to glean some pointers on the topic of health literacy from Ochsner’s System Medical Director of Patience Experience, Chantal B. Lorio, DPM, MSHCM, FACHE, ACC. HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF NEW ORLEANS I  JUL / AUG 2021 15