TABLE 3.

Item-Scale Correlation Matrix for the Final Composite Measures (n = 492)

Item #	Item Description	Communication to Improve Health Literacy Composite	Communication About Medicines
8	Provider interrupts you when you were talking?	0.40	0.24
9	Provider talks too fast when talking with you?	0.35	0.04
10	Provider uses medical words you did not understand?	0.30	0.06
11	Explanations this provider gave you hard to understand because of an accent or the  way the provider spoke English?	0.36	0.21
12	Provider really cared about you as a person?	0.58	0.22
15	Provider shows interest in your questions and concerns?	0.61	0.23
17	Provider answers all your questions to your satisfaction?	0.71	0.36
18	Provider gives you all the information you wanted about your health?	0.79	0.37
19	Provider encourages you to talk about all your health problems or concerns?	0.64	0.34
21	Provider gives you easy to understand instructions about taking care of these health  problems or concerns?	0.75	0.42
23	Provider gives you easy to understand instructions about what to do to take care of  this illness or health condition?	0.72	0.37
24	Provider asks you to repeat back or describe how you were going to follow the  provider’s instructions?	0.61	0.41
25	Provider asks you whether you would have any problems doing what you need to do  to take care of this illness or health condition?	0.51	0.34
26	Provider explains what to do if this illness or health condition got worse or came  back?	0.68	0.36
37	Were the results of your blood test, x-ray, or other test easy to understand?	0.56	0.31
40	Someone explain the purpose of a form before you signed it?	0.42	0.28
29	Provider gives you easy to understand instructions about how to take your medicines?	0.64	0.36
31	Provider explains the possible side effects of meds in a way that was easy to  understand?	0.52	0.52
33	Provider gives you written information or write down information about how to take  your medicines that was easy to understand?	0.26	0.49
34	Provider suggests ways to help you remember to take your medicines?	0.37	0.60
13	Provider ignores what you told him or her?	0.21	0.08
14	Provider uses a condescending, sarcastic, or rude tone or manner with you?	0.22	0.01
27	Provider use pictures, drawings, or models to explain things to you?	0.31	0.49
36	Someone from this provider’s office follow up to give you those results?	0.43	0.41
41	Offered help in filling out a form at this Provider’s office?	0.34	0.52
42	Were the forms that you got at this Provider’s office easy to fill out?	0.37	0.11
43	Were the forms that you had to fill out available in Spanish?	0.03	0.02

Item numbers refer to the numbering used in the field test version of the survey.

Item 43 was only included in the Spanish version of the survey.

Shading indicates the correlations for the items that belong to the composite under that column.

Although we received 601 surveys, only 492 contained sufficient data to qualify as an analytic complete.

Item-scale correlations are corrected for item overlap with the total score (ie, item-rest correlations).