Improving Health Literacy at the Organizational Level

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Patient Safety
• Health Communication

Background:

• Low health literacy is linked to adverse health outcomes, including higher mortality and increased healthcare utilization.
• Healthcare organizations need to foster environments that prioritize and support health literacy among staff.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an organized strategy for addressing health literacy within a local Program of All Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE).

Main Methods:

• A twelve-member interdisciplinary team utilized the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Health Literacy Universal Precautions Toolkit.
• The team completed an assessment questionnaire to identify organizational priorities and guide the development of improvement strategies.

Main Results:

• Three key priorities were identified: establishing a dedicated health literacy team, enhancing verbal communication with patients and caregivers, and improving written health information.
• The AHRQ Toolkit provided a framework for assessing current practices and planning targeted interventions.

Conclusions:

• The findings offer a practical approach for organizations, nursing leaders, and quality improvement professionals to evaluate and enhance health literacy.
• Implementing the AHRQ toolkit can improve understanding of health literacy, facilitate better health information exchange, and ultimately increase patient safety.