Board Update

• Elections

The Centre held its Annual General Meeting on September 21, 2002, and elected its board for 2002-2004. Dr. David Dillon ended his second term as President. Peggy Sangster was elected President for a two-year term. The members are:

Lionel Emond
Rotary International
Old Montreal

Elizabeth Gayda
Learning Disabilities Association

Natalie Kishchuk Educational Consultant

Ken McLaughlin
Open City Productions
2002

Linda Schachtler
Elizabeth House

Peggy Sangster
Montreal Children’s Hospital

Susie Wileman
Dawson College

Linda Shohet
The Centre for Literacy
ex-officio

The Centre for Literacy

News from The Centre
FALL 2002

Health Literacy Project Phase 2 Report

Phase 2 of the Health Literacy Project at the Montreal General Hospital ended this summer. This project was based on the findings of Phase 1 in 2001 that focused on the health information requirements of hard-to-reach patients, including those with low literacy. Phase 2 set up pilot-projects in three hospital units to implement some of the recommendations and test the outcomes. The results raised additional questions that will be explored in subsequent phases.

While we initially intended to set up “physical” health education centres in each unit, we eventually decided that “centres” had to be reconceived as “services” that were mobile and adaptable to better meet the specific needs of each unit. We invested in staff training to ensure some sustainability after the project ended.

Each unit established participatory education committees of patients, family and professionals. They decided on one priority health message that we could develop that resulted in a visual storyboard display on the first day in chemotherapy for Oncology- Haematology; a set of posters and brochures on MRSA infections for Dialysis; and for the Pre-Operative Centre, a brochure and audio tapes on managing pain using a specific pump apparatus.

We did not conduct a formal assessment at this stage, but asked for informal feedback from selected patients in each unit. Although patients who were considered “hard-toreach” still had difficulty with the simplified materials, many patients were very pleased with the clear and appealing materials.

Our conclusions were that the next stage of the project must define categories of “hard-to-reach” since the barriers that prevent understanding also determine the most appropriate choice of communication. As with all literacy projects, the findings reinforce that one-size cannot fit all, and that there are no simple solutions. One of the most encouraging outcomes, according to an independent evaluation, is that the staff on all three units now have a high awareness of literacy as a barrier to understanding and take it into account when they communicate with patients.

The hospital has set up a web page on its intranet describing the project and outlining concepts of health literacy with links to resources chosen by our librarian. Now staff in the entire McGill University Health Centre have access to the background, materials, and findings of this pilot project.

While we await word on future funding, we are keeping the project alive offering staff workshops and proceeding to evaluate the materials developed in Phase 2.

A full report from Phase 2 will be available in print and on our web site later in the fall.