Testing Rules of Thumb and the Science of Health Literacy
Authors: Cynthia Baur, Nancy Ostrove
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2011)

Editorials19 July 2011Testing Rules of Thumb and the Science of Health LiteracyCynthia Baur, PhD and Nancy Ostrove, PhDCynthia Baur, PhDFrom Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30333, and U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD 20993-0002.Search for more papers by this author and Nancy Ostrove, PhDFrom Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30333, and U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD 20993-0002.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-155-2-201107190-00010 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail Achieving perfect health outcomes would be easy if a particular treatment always cured the targeted disease, regardless of whether the disease occurred in a 47-year-old white man with high blood pressure and high cholesterol levels, an 18-year-old black woman with type 1 diabetes, or a 72-year-old Asian man with prostate cancer. Yet, as the emerging field of personalized medicine acknowledges, there are powerful interactions between individual characteristics and responses to treatment (1). Consequently, even when we are fortunate enough to have high-quality evidence, outcomes for specific situations can be difficult to predict and “rules of thumb” may not prove reliable. ...References1. President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. Priorities for Personalized Medicine. Washington, DC: Executive Office of the President of the United States. 2008. Accessed at www.whitehouse.gov/files/documents/ostp/PCAST/pcast_report_v2.pdf on 8 June 2011. Google Scholar2. Berkman ND, Sheridan SL, Donahue KE, Halpern DJ, Crotty K. Low health literacy and health outcomes: an updated systematic review. Ann Intern Med. 2011;155:97-107. LinkGoogle Scholar3. Woloshin S, Schwartz LM. Communicating data about the benefits and harms of treatment. A randomized trial. Ann Intern Med. 2011;155:87-96. LinkGoogle Scholar4. Peters E, Hibbard J, Slovic P, Dieckmann N. Numeracy skill and the communication, comprehension, and use of risk-benefit information. Health Aff (Millwood). 2007;26:741-8. [PMID: 17485752] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar5. Berkman ND, DeWalt DA, Pignone MP, Sheridan SL, Lohr KN, Lux L, et al. Literacy and Health Outcomes. Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; 2004. AHRQ publication no. 04-E007-2. Google Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: From Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30333, and U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD 20993-0002.Disclaimer: The findings and conclusions in this paper are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.Disclosures: Disclosures can be viewed at www.acponline.org/authors/icmje/ConflictOfInterestForms.do?msNum=M11-1260.Corresponding Author: Cynthia Baur, PhD, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road, MS-E21, Atlanta, GA 30333; e-mail, cynthia.[email protected]hhs.gov.Current Author Addresses: Dr. Baur: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road, MS-E21, Atlanta, GA 30333.Dr. Ostrove: 5 Norwich Court, Gaithersburg, MD 20878. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoCommunicating Data About the Benefits and Harms of Treatment Steven Woloshin and Lisa M. Schwartz Low Health Literacy and Health Outcomes: An Updated Systematic Review Nancy D. Berkman , Stacey L. Sheridan , Katrina E. Donahue , David J. Halpern , and Karen Crotty Metrics Cited ByEffectiveness of Musculoskeletal Education Interventions in People With Low Literacy Levels: A Systematic Review 19 July 2011Volume 155, Issue 2Page: 129-130KeywordsHealth careHealth information technologyLiteracyOral healthPopulation statisticsProstate diseasesResearch quality assessmentSpecificitySystematic reviewsType 1 diabetes ePublished: 19 July 2011 Issue Published: 19 July 2011 PDF DownloadLoading ...