First impressions: towards becoming a health-literate health service

Aust Health Rev. 2014 May;38(2):190-3. doi: 10.1071/AH13194.

Abstract

A 'health-literate organisation' recognises that miscommunication is very common and can negatively affect consumer care and outcomes, and makes it easier for people to navigate, understand, and use health information and services. This paper reports on the First Impressions Activities conducted by consumers to assess aspects of the literacy environment of a rural health service. The First Impressions Activities consists of three tools to assist health services to begin to consider some of the characteristics of their organisation that help and hinder a consumer's ability to physically navigate their way to and about the health service. The results show that navigation to and within the rural health service was made more complex due to lack of information, difficulty finding information, inconsistent terminology used in signage, missing signage, signage obscured by foliage, and incorrect signage.

Publication types

  • Evaluation Study

MeSH terms

  • Communication
  • Consumer Health Information / methods*
  • Consumer Health Information / standards
  • Health Literacy / methods*
  • Health Literacy / standards
  • Humans
  • Internet / organization & administration
  • Internet / standards
  • Location Directories and Signs / standards
  • Organizational Case Studies
  • Professional-Patient Relations
  • Rural Health Services / organization & administration*
  • Rural Health Services / standards
  • South Australia
  • Telephone / standards