Transforming the Veterans Health Administration into a Health Literate Care Organization

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Health Literacy Studies
• Public Health Policy

Background:

• The Veterans Health Administration (VHA), the largest integrated health system in the US, has prioritized Organizational Health Literacy (OHL).
• Health literacy is crucial for effective patient education and engagement within healthcare systems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess and improve Organizational Health Literacy (OHL) within the Veterans Health Administration (VHA).
• To operationalize health literacy principles across a large, integrated healthcare system.

Main Methods:

• A project team utilized the Health Literate Care Model to guide OHL assessment and improvement strategies.
• A 16-question environmental assessment was distributed to 120 VHA national programs.
• Planning sessions, expert workgroups, and a symposium were conducted to identify key OHL activities.

Main Results:

• The environmental assessment revealed significant variation in patient education content development and delivery across VHA programs.
• Essential OHL improvement activities identified include leadership support, workforce training, national standards, and measurement.
• VHA has initiated a new national program (Patient Centered Learning) and a Community of Practice focused on health literacy.

Conclusions:

• Meaningful improvement in OHL requires strategic planning and high-level organizational support.
• The VHA's approach provides a model for integrating OHL into large, complex healthcare organizations.