First impressions: towards becoming a health-literate health service

2014 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
pp. 190 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Health Literacy ◽  
Health Service ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Rural Health ◽  
Health Information ◽  
First Impressions ◽  
Phone Call ◽  
Literacy Environment ◽  
Rural Health Service ◽  
Lack Of Information

A ‘health-literate organisation’ recognises that miscommunication is very common and can negatively affect consumer care and outcomes, and makes it easier for people to navigate, understand, and use health information and services. This paper reports on the First Impressions Activities conducted by consumers to assess aspects of the literacy environment of a rural health service. The First Impressions Activities consists of three tools to assist health services to begin to consider some of the characteristics of their organisation that help and hinder a consumer’s ability to physically navigate their way to and about the health service. The results show that navigation to and within the rural health service was made more complex due to lack of information, difficulty finding information, inconsistent terminology used in signage, missing signage, signage obscured by foliage, and incorrect signage. What is known about the topic? The environment of a health service represents the health literacy expectations, preferences and skills of those providing health information and services. What does this paper add? This case study offers insight into the literacy demands placed on consumers, as well as an effective tool to assess aspects of those health literacy demands. What are the implications for practitioners? Health services can use the First Impressions Activities to actively engage consumers in the assessment of their first impressions of the health service shaped by a phone call, a visit to the website and a walk to the entrance and to different destinations. These activities can assist a health service to begin to examine the navigation of the service through ‘fresh eyes’, using a structured process to identify ways to decrease the health literacy demands on consumers.

Rural health services and the task of community participation at the local community level: a case study

2018 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
pp. 111 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elena Wilson ◽  
Amanda Kenny ◽  
Virginia Dickson-Swift
Keyword(s):  
Health Policy ◽  
Health Service ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Community Participation ◽  
Rural Health ◽  
Service Planning ◽  
Rural Health Services ◽  
Case Study Methodology ◽  
Rural Health Service

Community participation in health service decision making is entrenched in health policy, with a strong directive to develop sustainable, effective, locally responsive services. However, it is recognised that community participation is challenging to achieve. The aim of the present study was to explore how a rural health service in Victoria enacts community participation at the local level. Using case study methodology, the findings indicate that enactment of community participation is desired by the health service, but a lack of understanding of the concept and how to enact associated policy are barriers that are exacerbated by a lack of resources and community capacity. The findings reveal a disconnect between community participation policy and practice. What is known about the topic? The need to involve communities in health service planning, implementation and evaluation is a feature of health policy across major Western countries. However, researchers have identified a dearth of research on how community participation is enacted at the local service level. What does this paper add? The study that is presented herein addresses a gap in knowledge of community participation policy enactment within a rural health service. Insights are provided into the challenges faced by rural health services, with a disconnect between policy ideal and the reality of implementation. What are the implications for practitioners? Health service staff need clear direction from chief executive officers about the purpose of community participation policy and the expectations for individual roles. Community advisory committees need clarity about the community member role and the processes for making decisions. Services and their boards would benefit from targeted government funding to resource community participation activity.

Embedding health literacy into health systems: a case study of a regional health service

2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (6) ◽  
pp. 621 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucia Vellar ◽  
Fiorina Mastroianni ◽  
Kelly Lambert
Keyword(s):  
Health Literacy ◽  
Health Service ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Health Systems ◽  
Health District ◽  
Local Health ◽  
Consumer Health ◽  
Regional Health

Objective The aim of the present study was to describe how one regional health service the Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District embedded health literacy principles into health systems over a 3-year period. Methods Using a case study approach, this article describes the development of key programs and the manner in which clinical incidents were used to create a health environment that allows consumers the right to equitably access quality health services and to participate in their own health care. Results The key outcomes demonstrating successful embedding of health literacy into health systems in this regional health service include the creation of a governance structure and web-based platform for developing and testing plain English consumer health information, a clearly defined process to engage with consumers, development of the health literacy ambassador training program and integrating health literacy into clinical quality improvement processes via a formal program with consumers to guide processes such as improvements to access and navigation around hospital sites. Conclusions The Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District has developed an evidence-based health literacy framework, guided by the core principles of universal precaution and organisational responsibility. Health literacy was also viewed as both an outcome and a process. The approach taken by the Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District to address poor health literacy in a coordinated way has been recognised by the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care as an exemplar of a coordinated approach to embed health literacy into health systems. What is known about the topic? Poor health literacy is a significant national concern in Australia. The leadership, governance and consumer partnership culture of a health organisation can have considerable effects on an individual’s ability to access, understand and apply the health-related information and services available to them. Currently, only 40% of consumers in Australia have the health literacy skills needed to understand everyday health information to effectively access and use health services. What does this paper add? Addressing health literacy in a coordinated way has the potential to increase safety and quality of care. This paper outlines the practical and sustainable actions the Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District took to partner with consumers to address health literacy and to improve the health experience and health outcomes of consumers. Embedding health literacy into public health services requires a coordinated whole-of-organisation approach; it requires the integration of leadership and governance, revision of consumer health information and revision of consumer and staff processes to effect change and support the delivery of health-literate healthcare services. What are the implications for practitioners? Embedding health literacy into health systems promotes equitable, safe and quality healthcare. Practitioners in a health-literate environment adopt consumer-centred communication and care strategies, provide information in a way that is easy to understand and follow and involve consumers and their families in decisions regarding and management of the consumer’s care.

scholarly journals Faith in the 'cultural fix': limits to a planned cultural change program in a rural health service

2000 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 187
Author(s):  
Kerry Mahony
Keyword(s):  
Health Service ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Rural Health ◽  
Cultural Change ◽  
Cultural Analysis ◽  
Cultural Control ◽  
Cultural Integration ◽  
Attitudes And Beliefs ◽  
Beliefs And Practices ◽  
Rural Health Service

This paper, by way of a narrative on the author's participation, explains the limits to a planned cultural changeprogram in a large rural health service. Cultural change was identified by the CEO as crucial to the success of a majorrestructuring of the service, and the attitudes and beliefs of the 'old guard' were considered to be constraining progress.Advocates of cultural integration contend that shared core values across an organisation can overcome such obstacles.This is a matter of faith. An application of Habermasian theory suggests that organisational leaders are drawing ontraditional/religious beliefs and practices to bolster their visions and missions at a time of motivational crisis.Though a need for cultural change in some sectors of the health services is acknowledged, the particular challenges inattempting to manipulate the traditionally embedded culture and sub-cultures of the health services is highlighted.An analysis of some of the ideas and beliefs surrounding authority, deference and discipline is undertaken. It is arguedthat the ritualistic reinforcement of these beliefs and the reproduction of sub-cultures along material and ideal interestsmilitate against the implementation of objectives delineated by the CEO.While cultural analysis has revealed the irrational face of organisations and can bring to conscious awareness the taken-for-granted beliefs which inform behaviour, the cultural integrationists have a further agenda. They aim tomanipulate organisational culture to subtly control employees' beliefs and hence behaviour. Cultural control is a covertform of top down authority that can be just as directive and centralising as bureaucratic control. The author alsomaintains that cultural change programs alone cannot fix a problem that arose in the macro-economic sphere: a chroniclack of resources ever since the state responded to the economic crisis by cutting funds to health and welfare services.

scholarly journals Health literacy and health outcomes in China’s floating population: mediating effects of health service

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hai-YanYu ◽  
Wei-Ling Wu ◽  
Lin-Wei Yu ◽  
Lei Wu
Keyword(s):  
Health Literacy ◽  
Health Service ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Service Utilization ◽  
Health Service Utilization ◽  
Mediating Effect ◽  
Floating Population ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Mediating Effects

Abstract Background The floating population in China consists primarily of internal immigrants and represents a typical health vulnerable group. Poor health literacy has recently become an obstacle in the accessibility and utilization of health services for the vulnerable population, leading to adverse health outcomes. This study aimed to examine whether health literacy affected health outcomes in China’s floating population and whether health service utilization had a mediating effect between health literacy and health outcomes. Method The current study utilized a cross-sectional stratified, multistage, proportional to scale (PPS) study in Zhejiang Province, China, in November and December 2019. In total, 657 valid self-reported questionnaires were recovered and used for data collection. Questionnaires included questions regarding sociodemographic characteristics, health literacy, health outcomes, and health service utilization. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to test questionnaire validity; descriptive statistics were used to understand the demographic characteristics of the floating population; and structural equation modeling was used to determine whether health service utilization mediated health literacy and health outcomes. Results We report positive correlations between health literacy, health service utilization, and health outcomes. Mediation analysis demonstrated that health service utilization had partial mediating effects between health literacy and health outcomes. In the relationship between health literacy and health outcomes, the indirect effects of health service utilization accounted for 6.6–8.7% of the total effects. Conclusion Complete health literacy, through health care literacy and health promotion literacy, affects the mobile population’s initiative to use health services, which, in turn, affects health outcomes. Thus, improving the health literacy of the floating population will help to improve health outcomes. Furthermore, health service providers should enhance the diversity of health service supply to ensure that the floating population has the external resources to improve personal health literacy.

scholarly journals Radio back-up in rural health service

Nature ◽  
1978 ◽  
Vol 275 (5678) ◽  
pp. 264-264
Author(s):  
Zaka Imam
Keyword(s):  
Health Service ◽  
Rural Health ◽  
Rural Health Service

scholarly journals Has universal health insurance reduced socioeconomic inequalities in urban and rural health service use in Thailand?

2010 ◽  
Vol 16 (5) ◽  
pp. 1030-1037 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vasoontara Yiengprugsawan ◽  
Gordon A. Carmichael ◽  
Lynette L-Y Lim ◽  
Sam-ang Seubsman ◽  
Adrian C. Sleigh
Keyword(s):  
Health Insurance ◽  
Health Service ◽  
Rural Health ◽  
Service Use ◽  
Socioeconomic Inequalities ◽  
Health Service Use ◽  
Universal Health Insurance ◽  
Rural Health Service ◽  
Universal Health
Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document