Why is "highest educational level" asked on medical surveys?

[Modest_anteater]

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I don't think what level of education a patient has directly or even indirectly relates to the practice of medicine.

>It is used to see what level to talk to the patients on
All it does is perpetuate the stereotypes of low educational obtainment, demoralizing the patient and further emphasizes previous failures in their life.

>it is used to correlate disease states
>it helps boost the ego of higher educated healthcare providers so that they are more readily able to control the situation
>It is used as an indicator to motivate the patient to go back to school to increase their education
>it is used as a way for high education to advertise/promote themselves to normalize structured institutional education
>it is used as ammo for small talk with the patient to create an interpersonal bond
that's all i can brain storm

Can someone help me understand why this is on nearly every health evaluation form I see? Please keep the conversation polite and respectful. Thank you.

 

[libertyyne]

Part of ses status and disease prevalence.
Health risk behavior correlations.
Level of understanding of disease and educational requirements.
Insight into diet , supplement,alternative therapies use.
Getting a better understanding of the patient.

 

[DO2015CA]

I don't think what level of education a patient has directly or even indirectly relates to the practice of medicine.

>It is used to see what level to talk to the patients on
All it does is perpetuate the stereotypes of low educational obtainment, demoralizing the patient and further emphasizes previous failures in their life.

>it is used to correlate disease states
>it helps boost the ego of higher educated healthcare providers so that they are more readily able to control the situation
>It is used as an indicator to motivate the patient to go back to school to increase their education
>it is used as a way for high education to advertise/promote themselves to normalize structured institutional education
>it is used as ammo for small talk with the patient to create an interpersonal bond
that's all i can brain storm

Can someone help me understand why this is on nearly every health evaluation form I see? Please keep the conversation polite and respectful. Thank you.

Can't tell if serious or no. It 100% relates to how you practice medicine. You must keep the patient in mind when deciding how to explain pathology states to them, how simplified/complex a therapy regiment, etc.

Most times the less educated a patient is the lower the socioeconomic situation they are in. This leaders to psychosocial constraints that will play in their care. Also, the less educated they are usually leads to less insight and many times the patient will be less adherent to treatment plans.

Ex. Diabetic patients in the rural south where I am at think its just sugar in their blood, so if they stop eating candy and ice cream then they will be fine

 

[VA Hopeful Dr]

Y'all nailed it

 

[Promethean]

I don't think what level of education a patient has directly or even indirectly relates to the practice of medicine.

>It is used to see what level to talk to the patients on
All it does is perpetuate the stereotypes of low educational obtainment, demoralizing the patient and further emphasizes previous failures in their life.

>it is used to correlate disease states
>it helps boost the ego of higher educated healthcare providers so that they are more readily able to control the situation
>It is used as an indicator to motivate the patient to go back to school to increase their education
>it is used as a way for high education to advertise/promote themselves to normalize structured institutional education
>it is used as ammo for small talk with the patient to create an interpersonal bond
that's all i can brain storm

Can someone help me understand why this is on nearly every health evaluation form I see? Please keep the conversation polite and respectful. Thank you.

Interesting that your perception of a neutral question is that it is demoralizing and that it "further emphasizes previous failures" in the patient's life.

Are you even aware of how much you are inflicting your own assumptions and values on others? You would feel that a lower level of education would represent failure. *You* would feel demoralized if you were asked to report your level of education as "high school graduate" or "some college" or "trade school." You place a great deal of import on education as a measure of success and attainment in life. Not everyone shares your values, and even those who do may not impose the same meaning upon them that you do.

Here is a thought exercise: Try to step outside your context. Imagine what the world might look like to someone who hasn't made the same choices and doesn't have the same goals and aspirations that you do. Now, try hard to imagine that such a person isn't just wrong or lesser than you, but that they may have a totally valid perspective... from which your choices and values appear alien.

I'm not just being a jerk here. I think that this is the fundamental error you are making that is causing you to be unable to understand the utility of collecting this data.

 

[Modest_anteater]

Thanks for the insight guys!

 

[HomeSkool]

imagine that such a person isn't just wrong or lesser than you, but that they may have a totally valid perspective...

i.e., just because they do life different than you doesn't make them defective.

Another reason to collect this data: it facilitates research.