Field-Testing and Refinement of the Organisational Health Literacy Responsiveness Self-Assessment (Org-HLR) Tool and Process.

Anita Trezona,Emma Fitzsimon,Sarity Dodson,Anthony D Lamontagne,Richard H Osborne

doi:10.3390/ijerph17031000

Abstract

Health literacy refers to the skills and knowledge that influence a person’s ability to access, understand and use information to make health-related decisions, which are influenced by the complexity of their health needs and the demands health services place on them. The aim of this study was to field-test the Organisational Health Literacy Responsiveness (Org-HLR) tool and process to determine their utility in assessing health literacy responsiveness and for supporting organisations to plan health literacy-related improvement activities. Four organisations in Victoria, Australia, field-tested the Org-HLR tool. Data were collected through direct observation, participant feedback, and focus groups. Forty-three individuals participated in field-testing activities, and 20 took part in focus group meetings. Themes relating to the applicability and utility of the Org-HLR self-assessment tool and process were identified. Field-testing resulted in a number of refinements to the tool and process. Twenty-eight indicators were removed, 29 were rephrased to improve their clarity, and four new indicators were added. The revised Org-HLR self-assessment tool contains six dimensions, 22 sub-dimensions and 110 performance indicators. The Org-HLR tool and process were perceived as useful for assessing health literacy responsiveness, prioritising improvement activities, and establishing a benchmark for monitoring and evaluation of improvements over time. Testing generated an improved Org-HLR tool and assessment process that are likely to have utility across a broad range of health and social service sector organisations.

Highlights

Health literacy has been defined as “the cognitive and social skills which determine the motivation and ability of individuals to gain access to, understand and use information in ways which promote and maintain good health” [1]
We developed the Organisational Health Literacy Responsiveness (Org-HLR) tool and assessment process to address the limited availability of health literacy responsiveness self-assessment tools, as well as limitations with the content and administration format of existing tools
While the Org-HLR self-assessment process was expected to be implemented in three parts—(i) reflection activity, (ii) self-rating activity, (iii) priority-setting activity—in order to meet the specific needs of some organisations, minor modifications were necessary

Summary

Introduction

Health literacy has been defined as “the cognitive and social skills which determine the motivation and ability of individuals to gain access to, understand and use information in ways which promote and maintain good health” [1]. People with low functional health literacy may have less knowledge about their health conditions and treatments, poorer overall health status, and higher rates of hospitalisation than the general population [2,3,4,5]. Low functional health literacy may impact an individual’s ability to participate in decision-making, follow care recommendations, implement health-promoting behaviours, and engage with preventative health services [6,7,8]. Res. Public Health 2020, 17, 1000; doi:10.3390/ijerph17031000 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph

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