Patient Empowerment: A Partnership for Community Engagement in ThreePhases.

Area of Science:

• Health Literacy
• Information Science
• Community Health

Background:

• Academic medical libraries and community outreach offices can bridge the gap between health information and community members.
• Community-based organizations and public libraries are vital partners in disseminating health information.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the impact of patient empowerment workshops delivered in community settings.
• To enhance community access to reliable health information and promote patient-provider collaboration.
• To develop professional development for librarians and integrate patient education content into academic library websites.

Main Methods:

• Collaborative partnership between an academic medical center library, community outreach office, community-based organizations, and public libraries.
• Delivery of patient empowerment workshops focusing on health information literacy and patient-provider engagement.
• Development of professional development workshops for public librarians.
• Redesign of an academic library website to include community workshop content and patient education videos.

Main Results:

• Successful delivery of patient empowerment workshops within the community.
• Creation of professional development opportunities for public librarians.
• Enhanced academic library website with accessible patient education resources and videos.

Conclusions:

• Community-academic library partnerships are effective in delivering patient empowerment and health literacy programs.
• Public libraries and academic medical libraries play a crucial role in improving community health information access.
• Integrating digital resources and professional development strengthens the library's role in public health initiatives.