From Joint Commission: Input on How Hospitals Address Health Literacy Needs
The Joint Commission, with funding from The Commonwealth Fund, is developing proposed accreditation requirements for hospitals to advance effective communication, cultural competence, and patient-centered care. This 18-month project will explore how diversity, culture, language, and health literacy issues can be better incorporated into current Joint Commission standards or drafted into new requirements. In conjunction with the proposed requirements, The Joint Commission is developing an implementation guide that will help hospitals meet the proposed requirements and provide best practice information and educational resources and tools. Additional project information can be accessed at: www.jointcommission.org/Patientsafety/HLC.
As experts and stakeholders in the health literacy community, The Joint Commission is requesting your input on how hospitals are currently addressing health literacy issues and what resources and tools can provide guidance for improvement. Specific questions include:
1 – How are health literacy needs currently addressed in hospitals?
2 – Are there any recommended methods/tools/resources for assessing health literacy needs that can be used in hospitals?
3 – How do hospitals currently assess a patient’s understanding of information?
4 – Are there any recommended methods/tools/resources for assessing a patient’s understanding of information in the hospital?
Please send your responses to these questions directly to Dr. Cordero:
Christina L. Cordero, PhD, MPH
Project Manager
Division of Standards and Survey Methods
The Joint Commission
One Renaissance Boulevard
Oakbrook Terrace, IL 60181
Phone: 630-792-5845
Fax: 630-792-4845
email: ccordero at jointcommission.org
website: www.jointcommission.org
For some background, watch the webcast of Dr. Cordero’s presentation at the Wisconsin Literacy 2009 Health Literacy Summit:
http://www.wisconsinliteracy.org/HealthLiteracySummit.php
Her presentation is the second one listed and the slides to her PowerPoint are also available.
