Building Capacity around Health Literacy in Health Professionals HLKC Work Group # 10

Working Definition “Capacity building is...an approach to the development of sustainable skills, organizational structures, resources and commitment...to prolong and multiply... gains many times over.” Hawe et al, 1998

Capacity Building Encompasses two things: The capacity to deliver specified, awareness building, high quality education responses, and sustained action among health professionals around health literacy The capacity of the system (both the health system, including health professionals and the education system) to solve new problems and respond to unfamiliar situations (clients who are not health literate). Hawe et al (2000)

Capacity Building Framework Context

Knowledge Exchange/ Dissemination Organizational Development Raise awareness and advocate change in requirements Accreditation Canada – sent information Canadian Patient Safety Institute – sent information and will follow-up with the provincial one Link to patient-centred care, patient safety Work with Health Authorities, health organizations to raise awareness and need for competencies Work with Quality Improvement associations – 2 major ones – one in Ontario and one in BC.

Knowledge Exchange/ Dissemination Workforce Development Our research project identified barriers for health care providers to providing support for patient-self management Tied patient-self management to health literacy in Lesson in Learning – on CCL website – June, 2007 Skills around health literacy/communication included in recommendations for new public health competencies developed for BC’s core functions project. Paper on the role of health literacy across the continuum of care Literature review on Indicators of Capacity Building in Health Literacy Among Health Professionals

Knowledge Exchange/ Dissemination Workforce Development Professional Associations Sent information to BC Medical Association; Canadian Medical Association to contacts – will follow-up Met with Executive Director of BC College of Family Practice & will involve in Symposium Universities/Colleges/Training Nursing programs College of Health Disciplines Patients program---- Professional Development Opportunities

Knowledge Exchange/ Dissemination Workforce Development Health Services Connected with Provincial Mental Health Literacy Strategy Government BC Ministry of Health – Patients as Partners – linkage with practice support program

Partnership Building/Leveraging Collaboration with Adult Working Group and Early Childhood Group on a joint workshop/forum in March/09 – jointly developed concept paper and work plan Working on a national workshop, tied to the joint workshop, to include health system planners, educators, Ministries of Health Possible partnership with Literacy Now- grass roots approach- maybe include health as the content of literacy programs Created contact/resource list – keep adding – have sent out

Leadership Leadership/Sustainability Lessons in Learning/research papers on patient-self- management and health literacy, on capacity building and indicators We need additional evidence based research around health literacy and its impact; how health professionals might make a difference – for health professionals to believe it is an issue. We need research on outcomes – if we achieve the learning goals around health literacy for health professionals will that help with health outcomes.

Next Steps Potential for continuing without funding Explore the possibility of working with the BC PHA for sustainability If we have built enough capacity then we wouldn’t need to continue to exist.

References Health Promotion Strategies Unit, NSW Department of Health (2000) A Framework for Building Capacity to Improve Health, June. promition/capacity-building/ promition/capacity-building/ Hawe et al. (1998) Working invisibly: health workers talk about capacity-building in health promotion. Health Promotion International, 13(4), Hawe et al. (2000) Capacity Building for What? New Public Health Bulletin, 11(3), March.