Educational game “GUIDE in Health and Healthcare” to improve health literacy.

Abstract

Research suggests that 33% of the Belgian population aged 15 years and over has a low level of health literacy (Charafeddine et al. 2018). Low health literacy is associated with greater use of health care services, and higher morbidity and mortality (Dewalt et al 2004). In the last decade, the emphasis is on a system approach to improve health literacy rather than focusing on individual behavioral change alone (Brach 2017). Although professionals in social and health organizations try to improve health literacy in their clients, few tools are available to guide such efforts. Therefore, an educational game “GUIDE in Health and Healthcare” (in Dutch: WEGWIJS in Zorg en Gezondheid) was developed to improve health literacy among clients. By playing the game, people gain more insight into the Belgian healthcare system. 
 The game was created by the workgroup “Health literacy” of 11 community health centers in Ghent in cooperation with educational game developer “De Aanstokerij” and several health and social organizations. The game was evaluated in six different settings through a questionnaire, observation, and focus group interviews with the participants and their supervisor. 
 The game is a board game with a digital component, and consists of 15 characters with different health and social needs. By guiding the characters to the most appropriate primary care organization, people collect points. The group with the most points wins. 
 An instructional video was developed for professionals and can be displayed during the conference.