OBJECTIVE 3
To gather and disseminate information and findings concerning health literacy in general

Sub-objective 3.1
Ensure liaison with key partners inside and outside the hospital system to build a pool of resources and data as well as to communicate the purpose, activities and results of the pilot project.

Tasks

• to create a list of pertinent resources and partnerships
• to disseminate the findings of the Project to key partners.

Phase 2 Evaluation

Evaluation was central to the project. The Steering Committee received continuous comments and feedback from the evaluator as well as from the coordinator, and made decisions and revisions to the plan based on them.

The final evaluation focused on Phase 2 as an initial development stage in an uncompleted longer term project and therefore concentrated on the establishment of participatory Health Education Committees in three units of the MGH and on the process of producing new materials by each committee under the supervision of the project coordinator and the Steering Committee.

This decision was debated at the Steering Committee since health care professionals, by the nature of their work, are task-oriented and focussed on concrete health outcomes. Most members wanted the evaluation to concentrate on the materials themselves and on patient reaction and ability to use them. After much discussion, the Committee agreed that the difficulty of identifying our target population and the short time frame of this phase would not allow for a valid evaluation of materials and their impact, and that we would take that up in the next phase. They reached a consensus that the processes and structures would become the foundation for sustaining the project, and that, therefore, the evaluation should examine these aspects in depth.

For the final evaluation, the evaluator used a qualitative methodology that included eight in-depth guided interviews with key informants, an examination of relevant documents and some participant-observation of the Steering Committee. His recommendations were based on the assumption that the Health Literacy Project would continue in some fashion, even if funding is not found to hire staff again.