The IOM Roundtable on Health Literacy published a Discussion Paper in January that describes ten attributes of a health literate organization. The paper defines a health literate organization as an organization that makes it easier for people to navigate, understand, and use information and services to take care of their health.

The following is the IOM’s description of the paper:

“The health care system is very complex. Most people in the United States have difficulty understanding and using currently available health information and health services. This means there is an imbalance between the skills of people and the demands of the health care system.

Why Now?

Addressing health literacy is critical to transforming health care quality. Goals for safe, patientcentered, and equitable care cannot be achieved if consumers cannot access services or make informed health care decisions. These attributes are offered as guides for achieving the vision of being a health literate organization. The attributes are based on real world evidence and best practices. But it is not expected that any organization would have already achieved all ten attributes.

How Should Organizations Use These Attributes?

These attributes are guidelines for health care organizations that seek to ensure that everyone gets the greatest benefit possible from health care information and services. There are many paths to becoming a health literate organization. Individual health care organizations will probably choose different strategies and should be encouraged to test how well their strategies work and to share the results of their efforts with others.

Who Should Use These Attributes?

Providers and small groups/teams that deliver health care, e.g., clinicians, dentists, administrative staff, group practices, clinics, inpatients units, subspecialty teams. Health care organizations that house providers and groups/teams that deliver health care, e.g., hospitals, community health centers, pharmacy practices, and integrated systems. Payors and health plans, e.g., health maintenance organizations, insurance carriers, employee-based plans, the Veterans Administration, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.”

The paper and a list of resources on health literacy can be found at:
www.iom.edu/healthlit10attributes

Health Literacy Innovations is offering scholarships to the Institute for Healthcare Advancement’s Health Literacy conference in Irvine, California. I attended this conference several years ago. Caroline Marshall, the NER’s Health Literacy Community of Interest leader, attended last year. We both highly recommend the conference. The conference theme is Operational Solutions to Low Health Literacy.

Apply for a scholarship at:

http://www.healthliteracyinnovations.com/IHA/

Health Literacy Curriculum Development and Educational Leadership Institute
Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston
Dates: June 11-15, 2012
Limited to 20 participants

The Health Literacy Curriculum Development and Educational Leadership Institute provides health professionals and educators the opportunity to develop a health literacy curriculum to help transform public health and healthcare delivery in the United States. The Institute will include peer learning, sharing research and a curriculum development project. The Calgary Charter on Health Literacy will provide guidance for projects. Faculty includes Sabrina Kurtz-Rossi, Julie McKinney and Clifford Coleman. Contact Sabrina Kurtz-Rossi for further information.

Software developers are invited to join NLM data experts as they showcase NLM APIs and provide valuable information on how to find, use, and incorporate medical literature, drug, clinical trial, consumer health information, molecular biology, and other data into novel products. The free webinar, NLM API Showcase: Using NLM APIs for Product Development, will be held April 10, 2012 from 2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. (ET). There are several options for participating:

• Adobe Connect: Available to the first 500 people, provides the opportunity to submit questions, will be recorded and archived at Adobe URL: http://webmeeting.nih.gov/nlmapis
• NIH Videocast: Can be viewed live and will be archived at http://www.videocast.nih.gov
  On site: Lister Hill Center Auditorium, first floor of Building 38A on the National Institutes of Health campus in Bethesda, MD. Directions and visitor information.

• Follow the webinar with live tweets, and submit questions for the experts, @nlm_newsroom using hashtag #nlmapi

[Article from Techincal Bulletin, http://www.nlm.nih.gov/pubs/techbull/ma12/ma12_api_webinar.html]