Innovate to Communicate: Health Literacy Workforce Development

Innovate to Communicate: Health Literacy Workforce Development aims to educate frontline clinicians and hospital leaders in the knowledge and application of health literacy practices. By equipping clinicians and leaders with the tools and resources they need to take action, Innovate to Communicate will promote the health literate organization in North Texas hospitals. Innovate to Communicate will include self-learning modules and an in person, multimedia, interactive workshop using videos, story-telling, discussion, and simulation with Standardized Patient actors to encourage not only learning but more importantly attitudinal and behavioral change towards a health literate organization. Interactive quizzes that test knowledge, attitudes, and application as well as the incorporation of communication observation tools of clinician-patient interactions during simulations will reinforce health literacy practices. Specifically, our project team, in collaboration with clinicians, leaders, and 12s, will build the Innovate to Communicate modules and workshop to teach clinicians and leaders how to: 1 communicate using evidence based health literacy practices e.g. plain language, chunking information, teach back; 2 focus attention and ways to integrate health literacy into structures, processes, and quality measures; and 3 effectively use health literacy resources to promote a health literate organization. To meet clinicians and leaders where they are, we will partner with the DFW Hospital Council Foundation DFWHCF and area hospitals. Our project team will use a train the trainer model to build sustainability, training identified persons to become health literacy advocates, who will in turn offer Innovate to Communicate to other clinicians and leaders in their hospitals.