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 to treatment. It works to support the health service in every context: promotion, protection, prevention, access to care and maintenance.
Target group:
The responsibility for making health activities less burdensome and services more accessible rests with those providing the services. Organisations have a responsibility to make their environment easy to access and navigate. While literacy skills are often viewed as the responsibility of the individual, it is important to examine the skills of health professionals as well.
Method:
The health literacy audit promotes an understanding of how literacy friendly a health setting is. This audit helps to identify possible barriers for adults with literacy difficulties. Healthcare workers need a way to measure how literacy friendly their writing material, websites and general communication are to the public. The audit is designed to help analyse and record how patients and service users might encounter difficulties in accessing health services and in understanding health and administrative messages, and pinpoint areas that can be improved.
Outcome:
Each organisation can devise its own specific literacy plan based on the results of the audit. The summary sheet is helpful as a record of what work is needed.
Added value:
The audit tool helps to inform and qualify the work of health service organisations to become health literacy friendly. The approach can be tailored to suit local needs.
