Health Literacy Competencies for European Health Care Personnel

Abstract

Background: Health literacy as a concept is gaining importance in European countries, although it is still not adequately addressed among health personnel. Health literacy supports the self-management of patients in maintaining and improving health, which could decrease the burden on health systems in Europe. However, health professionals lack adequate knowledge about health literacy and the skills to promote health literacy among their patients. Objective: The Health Literacy Practices and Educational Competencies for Health Professionals (a health literacy training curriculum for health professionals) was recently developed in the United States, and the study presented here aimed to refine that assessment for health personnel in European settings. Methods: The modified Delphi method was used and data collected online via electronic communication to achieve consensus among an expert panel. The participants were a group of 20 health literacy and health care experts from 10 professional fields representing 13 European countries. The participants rated health literacy competencies on a four-point Likert scale and provided written feedback and recommendations. If a predetermined threshold of 70% or more of the participants agreed on the competency, the consensus was defined (similar to the criteria in the Health Literacy Practices and Educational Competencies for Health Professionals intervention). Key Results: After three rounds of ratings and modifications, consensus agreement was reached on 56 health literacy competencies (20 knowledge items, 25 skills items, 11 attitude items) and 38 practices. Eight items were removed from the original list and eight new items were added to the final list. Conclusions: This study is the first known attempt to develop a measurable list of health literacy competencies for health personnel in Europe. Further work is needed to develop educational curricula, standard national and regional guidelines, and questionnaires for the process of implementation to maximize health literacy responsiveness in health care organizations. [ Health Literacy Research and Practice . 2017;1(4):e247–e256.] Plain Language Summary: The Health Literacy Practices and Educational Competencies for Health Professionals was recently developed in the United States. This study aimed to refine that assessment for health care professionals in Europe. The modified Delphi method was used and data collected online via electronic communication, and in the end, 56 health literacy competencies were included.

General practitioners’ predictions of their own patients’ health literacy: a cross-sectional study in Belgium

“…Being able to identify people with limited HL will help GPs to tackle health inequalities, for example by adequate information exchange. Hence, GPs should be equipped with a variety of strategies they can integrate in their day-to-day practice to communicate on a low HL level 55–57…”

Fostering Health Literacy Responsiveness in a Remote Primary Health Care Setting: A Pilot Study

“…Participants' confidence in both their own and their organisation's ability to be responsive to health literacy improved from baseline following participation in the Org-HLR Tool and Assessment Process. Consistent with studies of health professionals in the USA and Europe [29][30][31][32], participants' initial understanding of health literacy was limited to the communication of health information to individuals in a way that patients could understand. Participants described how their understanding of health literacy expanded as a result of the workshops to be a much broader concept affecting the entire community, not just individuals, in line with recent definitions of health literacy [27].…”

“…Studies have consistently found that healthcare professionals in the USA and Europe have a limited understanding of health literacy and often lack the skills required to respond to the health literacy needs and preferences of the population [29][30][31][32]. Despite this, only a small number of professional development tools and guidelines targeting organisational health literacy responsiveness have been developed [30]. The US Institute of Medicine's (IOM) Ten Attributes of Health Literate Health Care Organisations are the most widely used internationally; however, this is not an exhaustive list and requires further development [27].…”

Health literacy of undergraduate health profession students in Australia: A comparison of the island state of Tasmania and other Australian universities

“…The HLQ survey is being culturally adapted and validated within European countries [13,14], enabling comparison of the health literacy of health profession students across continents. This will provide opportunities for international collaboration in the development of health literacy resources [21,28]. Additionally, longitudinal studies will provide valuable information regarding the health literacy of beginning practitioners within various health disciplines, and the impact on health literacy levels of healthcare recipients over time.…”