Better, sooner, more convenient health care in Midlands

5 CommunityA focus on health literacyScope of planned InitiativesPatient Healthcare Team NetworkPlain languagePost-visit plansReferral formsHealth screeningHealth infoDischarge informationPharmacy labelsImproving AccessOwn language patient advocatesQuestion buildersUse of images and video tocommunicate informationHighly visual action plansPost-visit advice available by phone oremailPatient journal - for complex, high needcases where patient can note theirown questions, concerns, needs forexplanationsListening to UnderstandHealth Literacy ScreeningAsk me 3Flow Managers to screen for healthliteracy levelsActive ListeningAddress quizzical looksSpeaking to CommunicatePopulation specific targets for healthliteracy (monitor and report progress)Use of CUT methodAvoid acronyms and other new wordsCareful use of idiomsUse of Visual Aids and Illustrationsprovide health context for medical andnumerical conceptsEnvironmentVisual symbols in health way-findingAssessment of health literacy andappropriate communicationCreate a welcome and supportiveenvironmentStandardsPolicies of use of plain languageAccreditation standards for IntegratedFamily Health CentreLiteracy CommitteeHealth Literacy a mandatory componentof Integrated Family Health CentreNetwork standards for all patientcommunications and interactionsAsTTle based assessment toolWorkforce DevelopmentDiscussion of health literacy issues withhealth studentsPlain language workshopsProfessional Continuing EducationInitiativesIntegrate health literacy into curriculumAlphabet Soup (family learningprogramme)Curriculum units that integrate with keyhealth literacy outcomes65