La Habra, Calif. – April 18, 2005 – In the aftermath of the tragic and controversial Terri Schiavo case, in which Americans from coast to coast were thrust into discussions about how they would want to be treated under similar circumstances, a California-based non-profit organization is making available an easy-to-use document that allows individuals to make their personal health care wishes known in advance of a serious illness or injury. This document, called an advance directive, is available in both English and Spanish.
The document was created in order to assist the 90 million American adults who are unable to read above a fifth grade reading level, many of whom struggle to understand the complex legal documents that are typically used to express how they want their health care handled if they become very sick. The easy-to-use advance health care directive was developed by Rebecca Sudore, M.D., a physician at the University of California at San Francisco, in cooperation with the San Francisco General Hospital and the San Francisco Department of Public Health.
The Institute for Healthcare Advancement (IHA), a non-profit organization that provides a wide variety of educational and community healthcare services, is distributing the easy-to-read and easy-to-understand form through its Web site at www.iha4health.org. The document, “California Advance Health Care Directive,” may be downloaded for free in PDF format and printed for personal use. They may also be ordered in bulk from the publisher by contacting Mahat Papartassee at mahat@pm-creative.com.
The larger issue of low-literacy and how it has a harmful effect on health care delivery in the U.S. is the topic of the IHA’s upcoming fourth annual health literacy conference, “Culture, Language and Clinical Issues: Operational Solutions to Low Health Literacy.” The event will take place on May 5th and 6th at the Hyatt Regency in Irvine, Calif. Conference details and registration information is also available on the IHA Web site (www.iha4health.org).
“Most advance directive forms are written at a post-graduate reading level. These forms are often intimidating and hard to understand, even for those who have adequate reading skills. For people with limited reading skills, you can imagine how much more intimidating advance directives might be. In addition, it may be much more difficult for those with limited reading skills to make informed decisions about their health care.” said Dr. Sudore who developed the document. “The Terri Schiavo case brought the need to think ahead about one’s medical wishes to the forefront. We hope that access to this document will help people of all reading levels to be able to make informed decisions about their wishes for health care.”
According to Dr. Sudore, the content of the form was developed after extensive testing with adults of all ages and ethnic backgrounds. It is a very simple, fill-in-the-blank document that is written in “bullet-point” style and accompanied by illustrations. The form is divided into three parts: (1) Choose a health care agent who can make medical decisions for you if you are too sick to make them yourself; (2) Make your own health care choices now so those who care for you won’t have to guess what you want if you are too sick to tell them yourself; and (3) Necessary signatures that make the document legally binding.
“Many Americans want to have a say in their own destiny, should they become too sick or incapable of speaking for themselves, but simply don’t know how to document those wishes in a way that will be clear and undisputed,” said Gloria Mayer, R.N., Ed.D., president of La Habra, Calif.-based Institute for Healthcare Advancement. “This document is free to download, easy to follow and very simple to complete. It offers individuals the opportunity to make their health care wishes known in advance and reduces the risk of a painful family decision in the event of a tragic illness or injury.”
The Institute for Healthcare Advancement is a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing healthcare delivery through demonstration of innovative healthcare practices and education of healthcare professionals and consumers. The Institute provides healthcare information with particular emphasis on and attention to health literacy issues. It publishes the “What To Do For Health” book series, five books all written at a 3rd to 5th grade reading level, and available in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese. IHA sponsors an annual Health Literacy conference for health care providers and educators. It also operates the Friends of Children Health Center, a model community medical and dental clinics providing low cost care for needy and uninsured youngsters in La Habra, Calif.
The IHA is headquartered at 501 S. Idaho St., Suite 300, La Habra, CA 90631; 1-800-434-4633. For more information, go to the Institute’s Web site at www.iha4health.org.
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