SHM Converge Scientific Abstract ePoster Gallery-Improving Health Literacy and Patient Empowerment: A Multi-Site Evaluation of the P.L.A.N. Tool in Underserved Populations

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This document describes a brief, patient-centered counseling tool called P.L.A.N. (Problem, Life Impact, Actions, Need for Help) designed to improve health literacy and communication in underserved, resource-limited settings.<br /><br />The study used a pre-post intervention design in two clinical environments. At a homeless shelter clinic, 15 adult men received P.L.A.N.-guided counseling for hypertension. Their objective hypertension knowledge improved significantly, rising from 66% to 91%, and self-reported confidence in managing their condition increased from 65% to 83%. All participants said the worksheet improved their understanding, helped them prepare questions for medical visits, and would be useful again.<br /><br />At a free musculoskeletal clinic, 10 patients received physician evaluation followed by P.L.A.N.-guided counseling. Their understanding of their condition and next steps improved significantly, with mean scores increasing from 5.83 to 7.93 out of 10. Patients rated the tool as easy to use and helpful, and all said they would use it again.<br /><br />Overall, the findings suggest that P.L.A.N. can improve patient understanding, confidence, and readiness to engage in care. The tool appears especially useful in settings where health literacy barriers are common. The authors conclude that structured, simple counseling frameworks like P.L.A.N. may support better patient-clinician communication and shared decision-making. Future research should compare P.L.A.N. with usual counseling and test longer-term outcomes across more settings.

Asset Subtitle

Avaneesh Rade

Meta Tag

Author List Anish Immadi, Avaneesh Rade, Esha Kanna, Harish Bayana, James Willig, Kehinde Odedosu, Martin McDowell, Matthew Doucette, Pratyush Mohapatra, Rohan Jupelly, Rohit Srinivas, Shelley Speed, Shreyas Saride

Category Research

Concept PLAN counseling framework

Concept Patient Education

Concept Patient-centered Counseling

Concept Health Literacy

Concept Hypertension knowledge

Distinguished Non-Finalist

Presenter Organization UT Southwestern Medical School

Presenting Author Avaneesh Rade

Track Quality Improvement

Keywords

P.L.A.N.

patient-centered counseling

health literacy

patient-clinician communication

shared decision-making

hypertension education

underserved settings

homeless shelter clinic

musculoskeletal clinic

pre-post intervention

PLAN counseling framework

Patient Education

Patient-centered Counseling

Health Literacy

Hypertension knowledge