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Celebrating Health Literacy Month - Part 2

In Celebrating Health Literacy Month – Part 1, we explored what it means to be a health literate organization. We highlighted the impact of low organizational health literacy on patients, care partners, and our entire health system. Research has shown that unless organizations make health literacy a priority, they will continue to see negative impacts on health outcomes (Santana et al., 2021).

How can we increase our organizational health literacy?

According to Brach & Harris (2021), all we need to do is “make health information and services easy to find, understand, and use” (Brach & Harris, 2021).

Within a health organization, all team members can play a role in making health literacy a priority. Such systemic changes can only happen when all employees recognize the significant impact of improvements in patients’ health literacy on patients’ health outcomes. As staff and clinicians develop policies and programs that shape the care provided within an organization, they are in a unique position to integrate health literacy strategies.

How can we make real change for our patients, care partners, and caregivers?

1. Prioritize clear communication.
   a. Plain language
   All materials for patients (not just patient education materials) should be written in plain language. This includes appointment letters or notifications, emails, websites, posters, and office and hospital signs. If you have an item that doesn’t meet the criteria of a pamphlet, the Patient Education Pamphlets Team is happy to review it and offer suggestions for plain language and readability. Email: Pamphlets@nshealth.ca
   b. Translation
   Translation of oral communication and written materials should be a priority, to ensure medical terminology is accurately communicated and provider instructions are understood. We often rely on a patient’s family member or caregiver to translate complex and unfamiliar terminology – using a professional translator ensures nothing is left out or misinterpreted.
   c. Accessibility
   Design materials (handouts, websites, signs) to meet current accessibility standards. Everyone has the right to participate in and engage with their health care. Prioritizing accessibility can create a more equitable health system.
2. Provide training and tools for employees
   Front-line staff and clinicians should have the resources they need to prioritize health literacy throughout their workday. Examples of training topics include cross-cultural communication, trust-building, motivational interviewing, the teach-back method, and the universal precautions approach (Center for Healthcare Strategies, 2024).
3. Become a health literacy advocate!
   Change starts with you! Share what you have learned about health literacy and the impact of low health literacy on health outcomes with your colleagues and leadership teams. Use what you know to start a conversation or add perspective during a team meeting:
   Talking Points About Health Literacy
   https://www.cdc.gov/healthliteracy/shareinteract/TellOthers.html

To learn more about what you can do to help make Nova Scotia Health a health literate organization:

• Register for an upcoming training session or request a custom session for your colleagues or team:
  • Health Literacy in Health Care – Online session
    • Wednesday, Nov. 20th @ 11am
      https://libcal.nshealth.ca/event/3830857
• Check out the resources on the Content Creator Toolkit
• Questions? Email: Pamphlets@nshealth.ca

References

Brach, C., & Harris, L. M. (2021). Healthy People 2030 Health literacy definition tells organizations: Make information and services easy to find, understand, and use. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 36(4), 1084–1085. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-020-06384-y

Center for Health Care Strategies. (2024, March 21). How improving health literacy can advance health equity. Factsheet. https://www.chcs.org/resource/how-improving-health-literacy-can-advance-health-equity/

Santana, S., Brach, C., Harris, L., Ochiai, E., Blakey, C., Bevington, F., Kleinman, D., & Pronk, N. (2021). Updating Health Literacy for Healthy People 2030: Defining its importance for a new decade in public health. Journal of Public Health Management and Practice, 27(6), S258–S264. https://doi.org/10.1097/PHH.0000000000001324

Kallen Rutledge

Librarian Educator, Patient Education Pamphlets Lead
Nova Scotia Hospital, Central Zone