My First Patient as a Nurse Practitioner: A Man With Low Literacy

PURPOSE:  The purpose of this case study is to demonstrate the use of the nursing process and the standardized nursing languages of NANDA-I, the Nursing Outcomes Classification (NOC), and the Nursing Interventions Classification (NIC) to assist a man with low literacy to self-manage his medication regimen.

DATA SOURCES:  The data sources for this article are clinical nursing practice, research evidence related to helping people with low literacy, and the books that explain NANDA-I, NOC, and NIC.

DATA SYNTHESIS:  This case study demonstrates nurses’ clinical decision making in providing care for a person with low health literacy.

CONCLUSIONS:  Low health literacy should be considered when nurses identify the nursing diagnosis of Ineffective Self-Health Management. After trust is established, a screening tool should be used to evaluate the person's literacy level. Active partnership of the nurse and the person supports interventions to assist the person implement the medication regimen.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING:  Inadequate evaluation of health literacy may result in mislabeling a person as “nonadherent” or “noncompliant” to a medication or treatment regimen. Low literacy is often an unrecognized barrier to effective self-health management.