Impact of low health literacy on surgical outcomes to be addressed during ACS virtual press conference (August 24)

WHO

Surgeons from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) School of Medicine will remotely present new research findings on the impact of low health literacy on surgical patients’ outcomes. Their presentation to the media will come shortly after the conclusion of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) 2020 Quality and Safety Conference VIRTUAL. The presenters are:

• Daniel Chu, MD, FACS A colorectal surgeon at UAB Medicine and the study’s senior investigator
• Lauren Theiss, MD A third-year surgical resident at UAB School of Medicine and the study’s lead investigator

WHAT

A 30-minute online press conference that will feature the investigators’ research summaries and key findings followed by a Q&A session with reporters. The discussion will focus on a single-institution study in which ACS National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP^®) data helped researchers identify an association between risk of infection in colorectal surgical patients with limited understanding of health information. 

WHERE

The press conference will be presented via ZOOM and will be coordinated by the ACS media relations team based in Chicago, Ill. Members of the media should register HERE no later than 12 noon (CDT) on Monday, August 24, to receive a confirmation message containing their login information to participate in the virtual press conference. 

WHEN

Monday, August 24, 2020 from 2:00 to 2:30 pm (CDT).

WHY

Low or limited health literacy is common among U.S. adults and may affect health outcomes in many ways, according to the government’s Healthy People 2020. Although patient-level factors such as education, socioeconomic status, older age, and language and cultural barriers can contribute to low health literacy, the complexity of the health information that patients receive also contributes to the problem.

“FACS” designates that a surgeon is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons.

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About the American College of Surgeons The American College of Surgeons is a scientific and educational organization of surgeons that was founded in 1913 to raise the standards of surgical practice and improve the quality of care for all surgical patients. The College is dedicated to the ethical and competent practice of surgery. Its achievements have significantly influenced the course of scientific surgery in America and have established it as an important advocate for all surgical patients. The College has more than 82,000 members and is the largest organization of surgeons in the world. For more information, visit www.facs.org.