Integrating Health Literacy into Your Organization: Lessons Learned, Best Practices, and New Directions

Learning Objectives

Understand and identify effective methods for a learning collaborative focused on

improving health and literacy.

Develop health literacy goals and create a strategy to advance health literacy in your

organization/community.

Learn how to successfully roll out a health literacy program, including creating and

utilizing check lists, facilitating health literacy role play scenarios, and addressing

employee/partner resistance.

The Panelists

Mary Ann Abrams MD, MPH

Clinical Asst. Professor

Dept. of Pediatrics

The Ohio State University

College of Medicine

Nationwide Children’s

Hospital

Columbus, OH

Susan Cosgrove MPA, CPHQ

Project Manager

Team Leader of Health

Literacy Initiatives

The Health Care

Improvement

Foundation

Philadelphia, PA

Cyndi Hall MHA, CPHQ

Sr. Management

Associate

TeachWell Project

Manager for

Carolinas HealthCare

System

Charlotte, NC

Shelby Chapman MA

Health Literacy Program

Manager

Children’s Hospital

Colorado

Aurora, CO

Where Are We From

Audience Response

Questions

Question #1

How far along are you toward integrating health literacy into your organization?

1. Have not begun

2. Thinking about how to start

3. Small steps underway (e.g., meeting, educational session)

4. Actively working in 1 or more areas

5. Spreading and sustaining

Question #2

On a scale of 1 to 10, how confident are you that you can advance your organization as a health literate organization?

1—Not at all confident 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10—Extremely confident

Topic A

Describe your strategic approach to integrating health literacy into your organization.

Cyndi’s Slides Shelby’s Slides Susan’s Slides

Question #3

Where does Health Literacy “live” in your organization? (Check all that apply.) • Education • Health Disparities/Health Equity • Nursing • Patient Experience • Population Health • Quality/Performance Improvement • Safety • Other: ______________

Topic B

How are you assessing / measuring progress?

Cyndi’s Slides Shelby’s Slides Susan’s Slides

Question #4

Which of the following metrics, if any, are you using or could you use to measure progress toward integrating health literacy into your organization?

(Check all that apply.)

• Baseline survey using existing tool, e.g., Health Literacy Universal Precautions Toolkit assessment

• Direct Observation

• EMR/EHR-based reports

• Press Ganey/HCAHPS/patient satisfaction survey

• Process measures (e.g., # people trained)

• Quality metrics (e.g., Unplanned Readmissions)

• Special surveys (e.g., Survey Monkey)

• Other: ________________

• None

Topic C

Key aspects of your work you believe most important to success

Cyndi’s Slides Shelby’s Slides Susan’s Slides

Question #5

What assets do you see in your organization to leverage support and optimize success?

(Check all that apply.)

• Already-engaged departments

• Health Literacy champion(s)

• Organizational priorities to link with health literacy

• Patient/Family Advisory Group(s)

• Quality/safety initiatives alignment

• Other: _____________________

Topic D

How are you planning to spread and sustain your efforts?

Cyndi’s Slides Shelby’s Slides Susan’s Slides

Question #6

What will you do by next Tuesday to get started or move forward?

(Check all that apply.)

• Do small test of change (PDSA) to see how a health literacy intervention can work in your organization

• Find opportunities for alignment with your organization’s strategic priorities, quality, safety, patient experience, or other initiatives

• Identify/meet with health literacy champion(s)

• Identify key internal partners and set up meeting to identify priorities and next steps

• Review panel toolkits and select at least 1 tool to try

• Other

What questions do you have?

Q & A Session

Question #7

On a scale of 1 to 10, how confident are you that you can advance your organization as a health literate healthcare organization?

1 – Not at all confident

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10 – Extremely confident

To learn more about integrating Health Literacy into your

organization, please see our individual tool kits.

Carolinas

Healthcare

System

Health Care

Improvement

Foundation

www.HealthLiterateOrganization.org

UnityPoint Health

Children’s

Hospital

Colorado

Cyndi’s Slides

TeachWell Schedule

Teammate Tool – Check Lists

Patient Tool – Ask Me 3™ co branding

Teammate Tool – Direct Observation

Steering Committee Tool – A3

Teammate

Tool

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Teammate Tool Checklists for Trainers, Managers, Leaders

1

2, 3

5

4

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The National Patient Safety Foundation allows you to obtain access to their official materials. In order to use, you must register and agree to the official terms and conditions.

Below are examples of their Ask Me 3™ materials. NPSF is also willing to “co-brand” with your organization. The ability to modify materials to include your specific organizational logo is available for a fee based on anticipated distribution.

To the right you can see and example of “co-branding.”

Patient Tool

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Teammate

Tool

Direct

Observation

TeachBack &

Ask Me 3™

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Tool for

Health

Literacy

Steering

Committee

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Shelby’s Slides

Ease versus Impact Grid

Template Redesign

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Template Redesign

Project 1 Project 2

Before After

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Susan’s Slides

Health Care Landscape in SE PA

SEPA – READS Partners – Hospitals and Health Systems

SEPA – READS Partners – Community Organizations

The Health Care Landscape in Southeastern Pennsylvania

Inpatient Admissions, FY2011-2012 Hospitals in Southeastern Pennsylvania

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SEPA-READS Partners: Hospitals and Health Systems

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SEPA-READS Partners: Community Organizations

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