RESUMEN
Dealing with health information and taking care of one's own health are key aspects of health literacy and a difficulty for nearly half of the population in Europe. Limited health literacy often results in poorer health outcomes. Health literacy is a fundamental health determinant, and its improvement provides great potential for addressing public health challenges. Health care organizations play an important role in improving population's health literacy. Health literate health care organizations facilitate access, understanding and use of health information and decrease the demands and complexities of the health care system. Few efforts have been taken so far to promote organizational health literacy, especially in German-speaking countries. This project aimed at developing a self-assessment tool, which enables primary care organizations to assess and improve their level of health literacy. The self-assessment tool was developed and evaluated with general practitioners and community care organizations in Switzerland. Here the participative development process, outcomes and the three modules of the self-assessment tool are presented: (1) manual with detailed introduction and instruction, (2) checklist for self-assessment of organizational health literacy and (3) handbook with measures for improvement. The aim of this tool is that organizations are able to identify the need for action, plan and implement improvement measures.
Asunto(s)
Alfabetización en Salud , Europa (Continente) , Atención Primaria de Salud , Autoevaluación (Psicología) , SuizaRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: The lack of health literacy is associated with higher mortality, more frequent hospitalizations, and increased use of healthcare services. Organizations must create an environment that prepares a workforce with a heightened sensitivity for health literacy. OBJECTIVE: The local Program of All Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) program desired to have an organized plan to address health literacy. METHODS: Twelve interdisciplinary team members of a Program for all Inclusive Care of the Elderly completed the Assessment Questionnaire from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Health Literacy Universal Precautions Toolkit. Once the questionnaire was complete organizational priorities were identified and the AHRQ Toolkit was utilized to develop next steps. RESULTS: The organization identified three areas as priorities: development of a health literacy team, improving spoken communication with patients and care givers, and improving written information given via letters and home instructions. CONCLUSIONS: Organizations, nursing, and quality care leaders may find these results useful to assess organizational literacy and develop improvement plans. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING: Implementation of the AHRQ Health literacy Universal Precautions toolkit may increase understanding and training health literacy, improve passage of health care information and increase patient safety.
Asunto(s)
Alfabetización en Salud/organización & administración , Alfabetización en Salud/estadística & datos numéricos , Promoción de la Salud/organización & administración , Promoción de la Salud/estadística & datos numéricos , Liderazgo , Mejoramiento de la Calidad/organización & administración , Mejoramiento de la Calidad/estadística & datos numéricos , Humanos , Objetivos Organizacionales , Estados UnidosRESUMEN
Area Health Education Centers (AHEC) play a vital role in creating health literate organizations. In this report, we highlight the work of three AHECs. The Massachusetts AHEC trains oral language healthcare interpreters who can effectively convey complex medical information to patients with limited English proficiency (LEP). The University of Kentucky AHEC trains providers to use the Universal Precautions Health Literacy Toolkit. Finally, the Wisconsin AHEC prepares community health workers (CHWs) to play a vital role in making it easy for people to navigate the healthcare system. These three AHECs serve as models of health literacy's diffusion.
Asunto(s)
Centros Educacionales de Áreas de Salud , Fuerza Laboral en Salud , Atención a la Salud , Humanos , Massachusetts , WisconsinRESUMEN
This chapter presents the U.S. National Action Plan to Improve Health Literacy and its unique contribution to public health and health care in the U.S. The chapter details what the National Action Plan is, how it evolved, and how it has influenced priorities for health literacy improvement work. Examples of how the National Action Plan fills policy and research gaps in health care and public health are included. The first part of the chapter lays the foundation for the development of the National Action Plan, and the second part discusses how it can stimulate positive organizational change to help create health literate organizations and move the nation towards a health literate society.