Improving the Accessibility of Consumer Orientation: Co-Designing Infection Control Training for Consumers Partnering...

Area of Science:

• Healthcare research
• Consumer engagement
• Health literacy

Background:

• Consumer and community involvement (CCI) enhances healthcare outcomes but orientation processes, including mandatory training, can create barriers for consumers with diverse needs.
• Existing hospital orientation and infection control training materials may not be adequately designed for diverse consumer populations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore consumer and staff experiences with hospital-based orientation and infection control training.
• To co-design an accessible infection control mandatory training resource tailored for consumers partnering with a hospital.

Main Methods:

• A qualitative study utilizing semi-structured interviews with consumers and staff.
• Three co-design workshops involving consumers, staff, and researchers were conducted.
• The study took place at a metropolitan rehabilitation hospital in Australia.

Main Results:

• Consumers found orientation inflexible, insufficiently tailored, and sometimes inaccessible, particularly those with diverse needs.
• Staff noted challenges in tailoring information and a lack of flexibility in current processes for person-centred partnering.
• Co-design workshops resulted in an infection control training resource featuring plain language, visual aids, concise content, and accessible formatting.

Conclusions:

• Accessible, flexible, and consumer-centred orientation processes are crucial for inclusive healthcare partnerships.
• Co-designing training resources addresses barriers and improves consumer understanding of infection control principles.
• Collaborative contributions from staff and consumers ensured the training resource was fit for purpose.