Testing the BRIEF Health Literacy Screening Tool
Jolie Haun, PhD, Virginia Noland-Dodd, PhD, MPH, Jill Varnes, EdD, John Graham-Pole, MD, Barbara Rienzo, PhD, and Patricia Donaldson, RN
At the time this article was written, Dr. Haun was a doctoral student at the University of Florida (UF) College of Health and Human Performance, Gainesville. She is currently a National Institutes of Health postdoctoral fellow in the department of family and community medicine at the University of Arizona, Tucson. Dr. Noland-Dodd is an associate professor and graduate coordinator and Dr. Varnes is a professor, both in the department of health education and behavior at UF. Dr. Graham-Pole is a professor emeritus in the department of pediatrics and palliative care at the UF College of Medicine. Dr. Rienzo is an associate dean for faculty affairs and professor in the department of health education and behavior at UF. Ms. Donaldson is a nurse at the Malcom Randall VA Medical Center, Gainesville, FL.
Due to the oppressive strains laid on the nation’s health care system, efforts to prevent adverse outcomes related to patients’ inadequate health literacy are warranted. By identifying patients’ health literacy skills with this tool, these authors strive not only to prevent personal and system loss but also to provide patient-centered care.