the importance of connections can not be underestimated in the world of health care literacy.for those who are in the "non-print" world we as professionals must find ways to include and engage our patients with compassion and a non-judgemental attitude. we need to make the "invisible" "visible" and connect the meanings of the words to a meaning for the audience. the old adage "if at first you don't succeed" has life changing and life-sustaining importance to patients.
knowing our audience takes on special meaning when nurses provide important information to patients. we need to know the limitations, strengths, and support systems that individuals have. how we approach a teenager and a non-custodial or custodial parent, an elderly patient with symptoms of dementia and an adult care giver, parents of a non-verbal infant when the parents only speak German or Chinese, or an educated engineer familiar with jet-propulsion " there are no one-way guarantees that what we say is what is heard. perhaps that is why some of the new medical initiatives that connect patients across the health care continuum are so important. did the patient remember their reading glasses? did the parent show up 1/2 way into the appointment with the teen ager? is the dementia gaining control of the activities of daily living that frustrate patient and care-giver? these are all issues that influence how the important information nurses try to give the patient. BUT ultimately what is the information the patient and family need to connect with their everyday world of living? What can we change as health care providers and when do we adjust our expectations to fit the patient and family expectations?
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