Health Literacy Integrating Health Literacy, Cultural Competency, & Language Access Services...

Health Literacy

Integrating Health Literacy, Cultural Competency, & Language Access Services

Health Literacy

Michael Wolf, PhD MPH

Healthcare -Qua l i ty -Safety -Equi ty

Key Concepts: Health LiteracyKey Concepts: Health Literacy Both a Risk Factor and Outcome

Both an Individual and Societal Trait

Both Context-dependent and Modifiable

Emphasis on accessing, understanding, and applying information to make informed health decisions

Strong ties to socioeconomic status, race/ethnicity, age

Solutions require changes to health system and beyond

Key Concepts: Health LiteracyKey Concepts: Health Literacy Both a Risk Factor and Outcome

Both an Individual and Societal Trait

Both Context-dependent and Modifiable

Emphasis on accessing, understanding, and applying information to make informed health decisions

Strong ties to socioeconomic status, race/ethnicity, age

Solutions require changes to health system and beyond

Key Concepts: Health LiteracyKey Concepts: Health Literacy Both a Risk Factor and Outcome

Both an Individual and Societal Trait

Both Context-dependent and Modifiable

Emphasis on accessing, understanding, and applying information to make informed health decisions

Strong ties to socioeconomic status, race/ethnicity, age

Solutions require changes to health system and beyond

Key Concepts: Health LiteracyKey Concepts: Health Literacy Both a Risk Factor and Outcome

Both an Individual and Societal Trait

Both Context-dependent and Modifiable

Emphasis on accessing, understanding, and applying information to make informed health decisions

Strong ties to socioeconomic status, race/ethnicity, age

Solutions require changes to health system and beyond

Key Concepts: Health LiteracyKey Concepts: Health Literacy Both a Risk Factor and Outcome

Both an Individual and Societal Trait

Both Context-dependent and Modifiable

Emphasis on accessing, understanding, and applying information to make informed health decisions

Strong ties to socioeconomic status, race/ethnicity, age

Solutions require changes to health system and beyond

Key Concepts: Health LiteracyKey Concepts: Health Literacy Both a Risk Factor and Outcome

Both an Individual and Societal Trait

Both Context-dependent and Modifiable

Emphasis on accessing, understanding, and applying information to make informed health decisions

Strong ties to socioeconomic status, race/ethnicity, age

Solutions require changes to health system and beyond

Integration with Cultural Competency, Language Access

1. Health systems must expect/prepare for diversity (by HL, culture, & language)

- healthcare communications

- provider training

- workflow

Integration with Cultural Competency, Language Access

Integration with Cultural Competency, Language Access

1. Health systems must expect/prepare for diversity (by HL, culture, & language)

- healthcare communications

- provider training

- workflow

Integration with Cultural Competency, Language Access

? is the investment justifiable?

Integration with Cultural Competency, Language Access

2. All represent vulnerable populations with known disparities; thus ongoing assessment is warranted.

Integration with Cultural Competency, Language Access

Integration with Cultural Competency, Language Access

2. All represent vulnerable populations with known disparities; thus ongoing assessment is warranted.

Integration with Cultural Competency, Language Access

? how do we measure each

Integration with Cultural Competency, Language Access

2. All represent vulnerable populations with known disparities; thus ongoing assessment is warranted.

Integration with Cultural Competency, Language Access

? what can be gathered by electronic health records

? how do we measure each

Integration with Cultural Competency, Language Access

3. Interventions must target improving access to understandable, actionable health information.

- health literacy standards apply to all

- ‘patient-centered’ approach

- link to behavior change, health outcomes for ‘business case’

Integration with Cultural Competency, Language Access

Integration with Cultural Competency, Language Access

3. Interventions must target improving access to understandable, actionable health information.

- health literacy standards apply to all

- ‘patient-centered’ approach

- link to behavior change, health outcomes for ‘business case’

Integration with Cultural Competency, Language Access

? what is a sufficient ‘business case’

Michael Wolf, MA MPH PhDProfessor, Medicine & Learning SciencesAssociate Vice Chair, Department of MedicineAssociate Division Chief – ResearchGeneral Internal Medicine & Geriatricsmswolf@northwestern.edu