Overview

The Inner East Primary Care Partnership works in collaboration with the Outer East PCP to support professional development and shared learning to improve health literacy in the EMR. Together, we aim to:

• Improve the organisational capacity of our partners to incorporate health literacy principles in all the work that they do; and
• Build staff capacity in our partner organisations so that they understand and apply techniques to improve community access to health information and care.

We do this by partnering with the Centre for Culture, Ethnicity and Health to provide training, and by sharing information, resources and evidence for best practice through the HELPER initiative and online through The Well.

Why is health literacy a priority?

Low health literacy is associated with:

• higher rates of hospitalisation and emergency care
• higher rates of adverse outcomes generally
• lower uptake of preventative action for better health
• higher costs to the health system
• higher risk of premature death. (ACSQHC, 2014)

Health literacy has two components:

• Individual health literacy (a person’s skills and abilities and how well they can find, understand and act on health information, make health decisions and find and use health services)
• The health literacy environment (the systems, processes, people, information and practices that make up the health and health care industries and sector).

Become involved

Health Literacy Training

The Inner East and Outer East PCPs offer a variety of health literacy training opportunities, delivered by the Centre for Culture, Ethnicity and Health in the EMR. Email sophie.allen@iepcp.org.au to find out about the next training opportunity.

HELPER Newsletter

Sign up to the HELPER Newsletter to receive all the latest news and resources on health literacy, including training opportunities and additions to the evidence base.

The Well Health Literacy Portal

Health Literacy has its own portal on The Well. Understand the theory and context behind health literacy, learn about the intervention evidence base, add your own project to The Well, and access regional data to support your planning.

http://thewellresource.org.au/

References

ACSQHC. (2014). Health Literacy National Statement. Retrieved from Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care: http://www.safetyandquality.gov.au/publications/health-literacy-national-statement/

Resources: