Good Practice
National Action Plan on Health Literacy – Germany
Aim and objectives: The development of the National Action Plan on Health Literacy was triggered by results of the first German study on health literacy which showed that more than half of the German population perceive great problems in processing health information. In response, a group of 15...
Making it Easier. Health Literacy Action Plan – UK (Scotland)
Aim and objectives: “Making it easier”, which is Scotland’s second action plan on health literacy developed by the NHS, sets out an action plan for improving health literacy in Scotland 2017-2025. The first plan was titled “Making it easy”. The action plan aims to remove barriers and prevent...
Health literacy Action Plan 2022-2026 – Türkiye
Aim and objectives: To increase nationwide levels of health literacy by developing necessary cognitive and social skills to access, understand and use health-related information in order to improve their health and maintain good health. Objectives: to develop and implement assessment scales...
Health literacy as a national health goal – Austria
Aim and objectives: In 2012, the Austrian Council of Ministers approved ten comprehensive targets to improve determinants of health in the sense of Health in All Policies. Health target number 3 aimed to enhance health literacy in the population. Method: A working group consisting of 30...
Digital health system – Estonia
Aim and objectives: Estonia’s health service has been digital for 12 years. More than 99% of the data generated by hospitals and doctors is digitised. Target group: Citizens can access their own medical records via a super-secure online portal and choose who gets to look at those records. ...
My Health Space: making patients real players in the management of their health data – France
Aim and objectives: The aim is to make a single digital portal available to all persons affiliated to the social security system. The portal is fed input directly by health professionals thanks to a system of interoperability with the software they use. My Health Space enables users to better...
eHealth portal – Denmark
Aim and objectives: There is an urgent need to break down industry silos and increase collaboration to drive progress towards a patient-centric and cost-effective model. Denmark has been at the forefront of many IT initiatives within health services. The majority of these initiatives are based...
Shared decision-making tools and guidelines – UK
Aim and objectives: Shared decision-making is a joint process in which a healthcare professional works together with a person to reach a decision about care. It involves choosing tests and treatments based both on evidence and on the person's individual preferences, beliefs and values. Target...
Integration of patients’ and health care professionals’ different domains of knowledge for shared decision making in treatment discussion – Finland
Aim and objectives: Integrating the knowledge pools of professionals’ medical knowledge and patients’ experiential knowledge when negotiating treatment in health care encounters. The domains of knowledge or “knowledge pools” into which patients and health care professionals are entitled to have...
Professional interpreting in health for liberal doctors (all specialties) and liberal midwives in the North-East territory - France
Aim and objectives: The lack of knowledge of the French language by patients during medical consultations is an obstacle to quality care. Promoting understanding during exchanges between health professionals and patients thus allows: improving access to prevention, screening and medical care;...
Improving literacy in the use of prescription medication – Türkiye
The establishment of the “Unit of Patient Education for Medicine Use” is an example of a local health literacy project in Şanlıurfa Training and Research Hospital, which is located in the province of Ş.Urfa in the southeastern Anatolian region of Türkiye. Aim and objectives: To ensure correct...
Informing patients diagnosed with an illness (Cancer Plan) – France
Aim and objectives: The system to inform patients diagnosed with an illness was a measure introduced in the early 2000s, as part of the first cancer plan. The aim of this system (which responds to a request made by patients in the context of general meetings with them) is to provide patients...
Literacy Audit for Healthcare Settings – Ireland
Aim and objectives: This audit, prepared by the National Adult Literacy Agency, seeks to make the Irish health service literacy friendly where both the skills of individuals and the literacy demands of the health service are analysed. It envisions a health service where literacy is not a barrier...
Health care professionals working in nursing homes – Italy
Aim and objectives: Health care professionals working in nursing homes, in direct contact with fragile and dependent older persons, are essential for access to appropriate care for those with comorbidities and insufficient family support. Staff working in these settings have specific roles and...
MILSA: A Support Platform for Migration and Health – Sweden
Aim and objectives: Receiving information about the society in which you are living in and gaining knowledge of how to take care of your health is a key component for successful integration in society. This is the guiding principle for civic and health communicators working all over Sweden....
Facilitating Syrian refugee access to medical services – Türkiye
Türkiye hosts millions of refugees whose access to health care is hindered by cultural and linguistic barriers. Reinforcing the trust of migrants in health systems and health professionals is a key component in facilitating their access to health systems. Aim and objectives: The objective of...
Health literacy for caregivers of older persons with different levels of dependency – Italy
Aim and objectives: Nowadays, many older persons with different levels of physical and/or mental challenges are assisted at home. They need help for a considerable part of their daily living, which is usually provided by a family member or by a person employed to do so. In both cases, the...
Teaching health literacy as a mandatory school subject – Finland
Aim and objectives: Health literacy, including critical thinking, is taught through an independent and mandatory school subject called “health education”. Target group: Pupils in primary and secondary schools. Method: In grades 1–6, health education is taught as an independent component in a...
Teaching digital education and literacy via cross-cutting themes addressed across various subjects – Germany
Aim and objectives: Based on the German education sector’s strategy, all schools should prepare pupils for digital transformation. On the state level, digital education and digital literacy strategies translates into the media literacy competence framework and curriculum. Target group: School...
Improving health literacy – Portugal
Aim and objectives: In Portugal, the national action plan on health literacy aims to reach different parts of the population, including, for example, immigrant populations and temporary residents. The national action plan was launched after a survey revealed that up to 40% of the population had...
