Development of an Innovative Organizational Health Literacy Teaching Tool for Maternal and Child Health Erika L. Thompson, PhD, CPH; Cheryl Vamos, PhD; Ellen Daley PhD University of South Florida, Tampa, FL

Rationale MCH Health Literacy

10 Attributes of a Health Literate Organization

Teaching Tool Components Lesson Plan Lecture Assignment

Lesson Plan

Lecture

Lecture Definition Application

Assignment Step 1. Choose an MCH care organization Step 2. Select 5 out of the 10 attributes Step 3. Assess the organization: Research information and literature on the organization Observe the organization using the selected attributes’ qualities Interview a staff member on policies and procedures related to the selected attributes Step 4. Summarize assessment and make recommendations: Produce a report on the organization’s health literacy assessment Present report to class

Assignment Provided example worksheets and reports too

Conclusions This teaching tool can be applied in a wide variety of settings in higher education courses, such as public health, nursing, or medicine. Students will gain important insight into how health literacy can be impacted by organizations and integrate this knowledge into their professional practice.