Annotated Bibliography Bartlett, G., Blais, R., Tamblyn, R., Clermont, R.J., & MacGibbon, B. (2008, June 3). Impact of patient communication problems on the risk of preventable adverse events in the intensive care setting. CMAJ, 178(12), 1555-1562. Retrieved November 12, 2013, from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2396356/ This study examined the risk of preventable adverse events among patients with communication problems admitted to the hospital and a severe defect how health care is delivered. 3% to 17% of patients admitted to hospital experience an adverse event of which nearly half could be considered preventable. Language barriers and disabilities represent some sources of difficult communication between patients and healthcare professionals. The study found that patients with communication problems were 3 times more likely to experience a preventable adverse event than patients without communication problems. Most events were drug-related or the result of poor clinical management, however some were the result of a communication problem, such as deafness. These medical errors involve improper or inadequate communication and should be reduced. This article supports the proposition because communication problems are related to health literacy. Patients and healthcare teams must work together to achieve the best method of care by optimizing the flow of information between patients and healthcare professionals. Egbert, N. and Nanna, K. (2009, September 13) Health Literacy: Challenges and Strategies. OJIN: The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 14(3). Retrieved November 12, 2013, from http://www.nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/ANAMarketplace/ANAPeriodicals/OJIN/TableofContents/Vol142009/No3Sept09/Health-Litera...... middle of paper...... spoons, or syringes,” with over 99% errors involving overdose, which could result from failure to verify the dose at eye level, from the assumption that the cup itself is a unit of measurement or understood as a whole dose, from the inconsistent labeling system on cups, etc. also found that “limited health literacy was associated with an error of dosage. However, the study states that the findings may not be generalizable because it was performed in a clinic that primarily serves an immigrant Latino population with low socioeconomic status. Additionally, the findings may be biased and the health literacy assessment did not measure all health literacy. This article is central to the proposal because it provides an example of how health literacy can influence medical errors and therefore we should prevent many medical errors, including adverse drug events, by addressing the issue of health literacy.