PS311 Unit 7 Informed Consent and Health Literacy Example

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Informed consent for a composite 58-year-old former roofer who reads slowly and will attend two of three weekly sessions by video is redesigned in this PS311 Unit 7 paper. He signed the program's eight-page form in under two minutes. Corrigan and Rao's self-stigma research explains why embarrassment threatens engagement, a six-point plain-language summary and teach-back replace the form as the core of consent, Schillinger and colleagues link confirmed understanding to better outcomes, and the APA telepsychology guidelines shape a section on privacy, dropped connections and crisis plans. Purdue Global PS 311, Ethical Practice in a Diverse World, assigns this paper in the BS in Psychology course.

CoursePS311 Ethical Practice in a Diverse World
UnitUnit 7
Paper typeInformed consent and health literacy paper
LengthAbout 550 words, 4 pages double-spaced
FormatAPA 7 student paper
SchoolPurdue University Global
ProgramBS in Psychology
UpdatedOctober 2026

Free sample paper for PS311 Unit 7

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Consent a Client Can Actually Understand: A PS311 Unit 7 Informed Consent and Health Literacy Paper

[Student Name]

Purdue University Global

PS311: Ethical Practice in a Diverse World

Unit 7 Informed Consent and Health Literacy Paper

[Instructor Name]

[Date]

The client, the program and the consent process are composite; the guidelines and studies cited are real.

What this part is doingNaming the gap between a complete form and a client's understanding in the lead gives the paper its problem.
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The Client

Mr. W., 58, worked for thirty years as a roofer and left school in ninth grade. He enters outpatient treatment for alcohol use after a fall at work. He reads slowly, is embarrassed about it and will attend two of his three weekly sessions by video from his daughter's house, forty minutes away. At intake he signed the program's eight-page consent form in under two minutes.

What Informed Consent Requires

Consent happens in a conversation; the signature only records it. Ethics codes require that clients be told, in language they can understand, about the nature of services, fees, the limits of confidentiality, their right to refuse or withdraw and, for technology-based services, the risks particular to that format (American Psychological Association, 2017). A signature on a form the client could not read does not meet that standard.

Health Literacy and Self-Stigma

When reading, numbers or medical terms are hard for someone, every form and handout becomes a barrier to choosing care for themselves. People with limited health literacy often hide it out of shame. In Mr. W.'s case, shame about reading compounded shame about drinking. Corrigan and Rao (2012) describe self-stigma as people internalizing negative stereotypes about their condition, which can lower self-esteem and the willingness to seek help, so a consent process that embarrasses him could threaten his engagement.

A form can be complete and still fail the person who signed it.

Redesigning the Process

Elena, the case manager trainee, worked with her supervisor to redesign consent for Mr. W. without singling him out; the changes became the program's approach for every client. The eight pages were summarized in a one-page list of six plain-language points, read aloud: what treatment involves, what it costs, who will know he is in treatment, when the program must break confidentiality, how video sessions work and that he can stop at any time.

After each point, Elena used teach-back, asking him to explain it in his own words. Schillinger et al. (2003) found that physicians who used this kind of check with patients with diabetes and low health literacy had patients with better blood sugar control, suggesting that confirming understanding matters for outcomes, not only for ethics.

What this part is doingLinking teach-back to measured outcomes shows the technique is more than courtesy.
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The Telehealth Section

The APA guidelines for telepsychology ask providers to address the particular risks of technology, including privacy, security and what happens in an emergency (American Psychological Association, 2013). The consent explained that video sessions use a secure platform, that Mr. W. should choose a private room at his daughter's house, what would happen if the connection dropped and whom the program would call if he were in crisis during a video session, with his daughter's address on file.

Outcome

When asked to explain the limits of confidentiality in his own words, Mr. W. said, "You keep it private unless I'm going to hurt somebody or a kid's in danger." That answer, not his signature, showed consent had been given.

What this part is doingEnding with the client's own words as evidence of consent shows the redesign worked as intended.
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References

American Psychological Association. (2013). Guidelines for the practice of telepsychology. American Psychologist, 68(9), 791-800. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0035001

American Psychological Association. (2017). Ethical principles of psychologists and code of conduct (2002, amended effective June 1, 2010, and January 1, 2017). https://www.apa.org/ethics/code

Corrigan, P. W., & Rao, D. (2012). On the self-stigma of mental illness: Stages, disclosure, and strategies for change. The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 57(8), 464-469. https://doi.org/10.1177/070674371205700804

Schillinger, D., Piette, J., Grumbach, K., Wang, F., Wilson, C., Daher, C., Leong-Grotz, K., Castro, C., & Bindman, A. B. (2003). Closing the loop: Physician communication with diabetic patients who have low health literacy. Archives of Internal Medicine, 163(1), 83-90. https://doi.org/10.1001/archinte.163.1.83

What the PS311 Unit 7 assignment asks for

PS311's seventh unit often asks you to design informed consent for a client whose health literacy, language or setting complicates understanding. Describe the client and why the standard process falls short. Explain the elements consent must cover under the relevant codes, including limits of confidentiality and, for telehealth, technology-specific risks. Discuss health literacy and any related factor, such as stigma or shame, that affects how the client receives information. Redesign the process with specific techniques, such as plain-language summaries and teach-back, supported by research. Include telehealth safeguards where relevant. Show how you would know consent was actually achieved. Cite the codes, guidelines and research you use, and avoid singling out the client in a way that adds to stigma.

How this PS311 Unit 7 example is built

The paper opens with Mr. W.'s background, his reading difficulty and the two-minute signature. A section sets out the required elements of consent from the APA code. A health literacy section adds Corrigan and Rao on self-stigma, under a highlighted line that a form can be complete and still fail its signer. The redesign section describes a one-page, six-point summary read aloud for every client and teach-back after each point, with Schillinger and colleagues' diabetes findings. The telehealth section covers platform security, a private room at his daughter's house, dropped connections and an emergency contact. The close reports his own explanation of confidentiality's limits. Each technique is matched to the barrier it addresses.

Reading the PS311 Unit 7 grading rubric

Consent papers earn credit for treating consent as understanding, not paperwork. Instructors look for the required elements stated accurately, the client's specific barriers identified and techniques chosen to address them with research support. Attention to stigma shows sensitivity to how information is received. Telehealth safeguards should be concrete, including emergencies and privacy. Evidence that consent was achieved, such as a teach-back response, demonstrates follow-through. Designing changes for all clients rather than singling out one shows awareness of dignity. Accurate citations for the codes, the telepsychology guidelines and the research complete the paper. Explaining how the redesign protects dignity as well as understanding, for instance by applying it to everyone, often lifts the grade.

PS311 Unit 7 help: mistakes that cost points

The most frequent weakness lists the elements of consent without addressing whether the client can understand them. Another assumes that reading the form aloud is enough. Students often skip telehealth risks, or describe them in general terms without an emergency plan. Stigma is rarely considered, though it shapes whether a client will admit confusion. Some papers propose solutions that single the client out, which can add to shame. Before submitting, list the elements your consent covers, describe how you will check understanding, add a telehealth emergency plan if relevant and state how the process applies to every client, not only the one with low literacy.

Get a PS311 Unit 7 example written to your instructions

Send the client situation and the instructions with the rubric. A custom paper explains consent elements and how to make them understood. Delivery is within 24-48h, and a first paper is free. The paper above is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Purdue University Global document.

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PS311 Unit 7 questions, answered

What is health literacy?

The ability to find, understand and use health information to make decisions.

What is teach-back?

Asking clients to explain information in their own words to confirm understanding.

Does telehealth change consent?

Yes; consent should cover privacy, technology limits and emergency plans.

Where can I find a free PS311 Unit 7 sample paper?

This page contains the full PS311 Unit 7 paper redesigning informed consent for a composite client with limited reading skills and video sessions.

How does the PS311 Unit 7 sample confirm understanding?

Through teach-back, asking the client to explain each point in his own words, rather than relying on a signature.