How a Student's Cancer Diagnosis Spurred Her Work on Cochlear Implant Patient Education

When Jennifer La Scala was diagnosed with breast cancer, she came face to face with just how overwhelming, dense, and inaccessible patient education materials can be.A graduate student at the University of Central Florida, La Scala explains how her personal medical journey inspired her to study health literacy. Her work, and parallel work by University of Central Florida faculty, ultimately led to a collaboration with cochlear implant manufacturer Advanced Bionics.La Scala joins SLP Richard Zraick, of the University of Central Florida and audiologist Sarah Downing of Advanced Bionics to discuss health literacy and access to care, and how providers can improve communication with patients.Learn More:ASHA Practice Portal: Communication AccessAmerican Journal of Audiology: Readability of Cochlear Implant Brochures: A Potential Factor in Parent Decision MakingASHA Voices: How SLPs Can Use Communication Strategies to Improve Health Care AccessRead the Transcript