Report on the Needs Assessment

Acknowledgements

This Needs Assessment was an initiative of The Centre for Literacy of Québec in collaboration with the Montreal General Hospital, McGill University Health Centre (MUHC). It was funded by Health Canada, through the Population Health Fund. The project was co-ordinated by the Steering Committee on Health Literacy of the Montreal General Hospital made up of six members from various departments of the Hospital, the director of The Centre for Literacy, and the project Officer from Health Canada. While the research and report writing were in progress, the principal researcher and her co-researcher were part of the Committee. In March 2001, an external evaluator commented on the project and the protocols developed for patient interviews. From May 2001 until the end of June, this evaluator attended Committee meetings and served as a resource person during the drafting of the final report. [See Appendix 1 for a list of committee members.]

Odette Langlais, an educational consultant, carried out the research under the guidance of the Steering Committee, with unmatched thoroughness and dedication. She forged strong relationships with all the patients she met, and showed great patience of her own during the entire revision process. She was assisted by co-researcher Claire Elliot, librarian at The Centre for Literacy in drafting the Background Document on Literacy and Health (please see Preface), and by consultant Charles Draper in conducting the interviews and focus groups. Ms.Langlais drafted both the Background Paper and the Needs Assessment with feedback from the Steering Committee, and later, from the external evaluator.

As requested by the Research and Ethics Committee of the Montreal General Hospital, a report by an external reviewer was prepared. Dr. William Ninacs, chairperson, Coopérative de consultation en développement La Clé, served as the evaluator. The Research and Ethics Committee approved the Needs Assessment Research Plan in March 2001. Dr. Ninacs accepted to serve as a resource person/external evaluator beginning in May 2001, after the data collection had been completed.

Dr. Linda Shohet edited both final documents, the Background Document on Literacy and Health and The Report on the Needs Assessment.

Nursing staff on Dialysis, Oncology Hematology and the Pre-Operative Centre, the three hospital units that participated in this study gave unstintingly of their time and support, despite the perpetually stressful conditions in the medical system. The 114 informants who participated in interviews, focus groups and physician response also showed great generosity, the patients often in the face of extreme medical circumstances. The study could not have taken place without their cooperation and input. Health Canada also worked closely with the Steering Committee throughout the process. Their framework for continuous evaluation is a model of excellent funding practice.

The Steering Committee has approved the content and recommendations of the Needs Assessment report. This report is dedicated to the patients, caregivers, support staff and health care workers who collaborated with us on this study, and to those whose needs we hope to meet through the recommendations we propose.