AHRQ’s Approach to Informing Latinos about Health Care Efficiency, Quality & Safety

1. AHRQ’s Approach to Informing Latinos about Health Care Efficiency, Quality & Safety Ileana María Ponce-González, MD, MPH, CNC Scientific Review Officer Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality NHMA 14th Annual Conference Washington, DC – March 26, 2010

2. AHRQ Overview • Agency within the US. Department of Health & Human Services • Sister agency to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), etc • Mission: To improve the quality, safety, efficiency and effectiveness of health care for all Americans Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

3. Language Proficiency • About 52 million Americans (nearly 1 in 5) spoke a language other than English at home in 2000, up from 32 million in 1990 • Nearly half reported not speaking English very well 2009 National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Reports Coming Soon

4. Communication with Health Care Providers • Adult Latinos were more than twice as likely as non-Hispanic adult whites to report language as the reason they had difficulty understanding their doctor (3.7 percent compared with 1.4 percent) • Poor Latinos were four times more likely to have difficulty understanding their doctor than high-income Latinos (8.5 percent v. 2.2 percent)  AHRQ 2008 National Healthcare Disparities Report

5. Health Care Disparities Among Latinos are Getting Worse • Latinos are 38 percent less likely than non-Latinos to have visited the doctor within the past year • More than a quarter of Latino adults have never had their cholesterol checked • Two-thirds of Latinos over 50 have never had a colonoscopy • More than half of Latinas over 40 have not had a mammogram within the last year. AHRQ 2008 National Healthcare Disparities Report

6. The Involved Patient: What the Research Shows • The average doctor visit lasts less than 20 minutes • Patients who share in decisionmaking about their health care tend to get better care and be more satisfied with their care • The average patient asks 1.5 questions per visit, including questions about parking

7. Hispanic Media Health Fairs Spanish-Language Dissemination Información en español Scientific Conferences Consejos de salud Direct Marketing Healthcare 411 Partnerships AHRQ Outreach Designed for the Latino Community

8. Emphasis on preventive care Main message: Tu no eres un superhéroe (You’re not a superhero) Patient-Engagement: Superhéroes Campaign www.ahrq.gov/superheroes

9. Superhéroes Web Page • Encourages Hispanics to make periodic doctor visits an integral part of a healthy lifestyle • Provides assistance in locating HRSA-funded health centers www.ahrq.gov/superheroes

10. Informing Latinos About Health Care Effectiveness, Quality & Safety Patient Guides in Spanish Include: • Antidepressant Medicines • Choosing Pain Medicine for Osteoarthritis • Comparing Two Kinds of Blood Pressure Pills: ACEIs and ARBs • Pills for Type 2 Diabetes

11. Guides for Clinicians Example: Choosing Antidepressants for Adults • Summarizes clinical research on commonly used antidepressants for adults with major depression • Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and other agents • Includes confidence ratings based on quantity and quality of clinical evidence http://effectivehealthcare.ahrq.gov

12. Videos for Consumers/Patients • 10-minute video helps patients understand how they should use anticoagulant drugs • Basic information about blood thinners medications including reasons why a clinician might prescribe it • Tips on diet, medicines and foods to avoid and precautions for some daily activities Brochure available in Spanish and English www.ahrq.gov/consumers/btpills.htm#videos

13. Spanish-Language Web Page www.ahrq.gov/consumerespanoix.htm

14. Opportunities: NHMA & AHRQ • Encourage health care consumers to use AHRQ’s patient-engagement and patient-education materials for Latinos • Use AHRQ information and tools for clinicians in areas including preventive health and medication adherence • Explore opportunities to create a network involving AHRQ, Latino health service providers and Hispanic advocacy groups

15. Ordering Information • Phone: Toll-free: 800-358-9295 • Callers outside of the U.S.: 703-437-2078 • E-mail: AHRQpubs@ahrq.hhs.gov • Mail: P.O. Box 8547, Silver Spring, MD 20907-8547 • On-line: AHRQ Publications online store: http://ahrqpubs.ahrq.gov

16. Questions? Ileana.PonceGonzalez@ahrq.hhs.gov