Health Promotion Research Centre, University of Galway, Galway, Ireland.
Community Healthcare West & Galway University Hospitals, Galway, Ireland.
Health Expect. 2023 Jun;26(3):1213-1220. doi: 10.1111/hex.13736. Epub 2023 Feb 28.
People with literacy needs can experience many challenges in accessing, understanding and using health services and health information. Such challenges can adversely impact patient-provider interactions and ultimately, health outcomes. Healthcare providers need to be aware of health literacy (HL) to address the demands of healthcare systems, improve their interactions with communities and patients and promote patient engagement for improved health outcomes.
This paper reports on a process of patient and public involvement (PPI) with participants in an adult literacy programme acting as PPI contributors to identify priority areas for a local hospital HL action plan and to develop a protocol for a PPI process with other groups. A qualitative community-based participatory research study design informed by principles of PPI was undertaken, drawing on the tools of participatory and visual methods, open discussion and workshop format to facilitate a process of co-creation. Three workshops with six PPI contributors took place to identify issues to be included in the hospital action plan. PPI contributors identified issues and grouped these into priority areas using discussion and ranking procedures.
Key areas prioritised for HL action by the PPI contributors were: verbal communication, emphasising the patient's right to understand, and improved understanding of medication use. These were incorporated into the action plan. The workshop format and process were deemed acceptable to the group and input on improvements will be incorporated into further work in this area.
PPI acts as a lever in the knowledge translation process. Genuine engagement with service users can meaningfully contribute to relevant and sustainable changes to services as well as foster the empowerment of service users.
Members of the public with literacy needs actively participated in the co-creation of a HL action plan for a local hospital and in the development of a protocol for a patient and public process for HL research.
有读写需求的人在获取、理解和使用医疗服务和健康信息方面可能会遇到许多挑战。这些挑战可能会对医患互动产生不利影响，并最终影响健康结果。医疗保健提供者需要了解健康素养（HL），以满足医疗保健系统的需求，改善他们与社区和患者的互动，并促进患者参与以改善健康结果。
本文报告了一个患者和公众参与（PPI）的过程，参与成人扫盲计划的参与者作为 PPI 贡献者，确定当地医院 HL 行动计划的优先领域，并为其他群体制定 PPI 流程的协议。采用基于 PPI 的原则的定性社区参与式研究设计，借鉴参与式和可视化方法、公开讨论和研讨会格式的工具，促进共同创造的过程。与六名 PPI 贡献者举行了三次研讨会，以确定应包含在医院行动计划中的问题。PPI 贡献者通过讨论和排名程序确定问题并将其分组为优先领域。
PPI 贡献者优先考虑 HL 行动的关键领域是：口头沟通、强调患者的知情权以及提高对药物使用的理解。这些都被纳入行动计划。小组认为研讨会的形式和流程是可以接受的，并将在该领域的进一步工作中纳入对改进的意见。
PPI 是知识转化过程中的一个杠杆。与服务使用者的真正参与可以为服务的相关和可持续变革做出有意义的贡献，并促进服务使用者的赋权。
有读写需求的公众积极参与了当地医院 HL 行动计划的共同制定，并参与了 HL 研究的患者和公众参与流程的协议制定。
