Practical ways to promote health literacy in your library

Lissa Staley, Health Information Librarian, Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library, estaley@tscpl.org

Understand what Health Literacy means

Health Literacy is defined in the Institute of Medicine report, Health Literacy: A Prescription to End Confusion, as "the degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions." Health literacy is not simply the ability to read. It requires a complex group of reading, listening, analytical, and decision-making skills, and the ability to apply these skills to health situations. For example, it includes the ability to understand instructions on prescription drug bottles, appointment slips, medical education brochures, doctor's directions and consent forms, and the ability to negotiate complex health care systems. From: http://nnlm.gov/outreach/consumer/hlthlit.html

Empower your staff to teach customers MedlinePlus

One of the first things I did in my role as Health Information Librarian was get permission for library staff to print up to 10 pages of free printing for customers with health questions, as long as they were using MedlinePlus to find the information. Books are great, dont get me wrong, but the value of allowing the customer to leave the library holding a few pages of information that are reliable and readable is worth more than we would be spending on the free printouts. I taught 1-hour classes to our service desk staff on using MedlinePlus effectively, why not to use WebMD (corporate advertising drives content), and how answering a health reference question is different from offering health advice.

Offer your library space/advertising to local health groups to offer informative programming
The Alzheimers Association brings their outreach program to our library each year, providing their 6-week caregiver support program in one of our public meeting rooms. We get to promote the library materials that support caregivers. They might not take time to visit the library otherwise to learn about the services that might support them and enrich their lives.

Know your health resources, and know how to promote them to customers
At a public library, you will likely own many popular health books that are NOT based on evidence-based medicine and may actually not be trustworthy information; but, they are bestsellers with long waiting lists. Popular does not equal reliable though, so as an information professional, you should know where to direct customers and how to help them find the information they need. While some customers may ask for a bestseller by title, those who want good information on a health topic can be taught and helped to evaluate the books or websites or articles from subscription databases. I like this list for reviewing skills for evaluating health websites: http://nccam.nih.gov/health/webresources Why I love starting customers on MedlinePlu s more than subscriptio n databases like Consumer Health Complete Article databases give a list of results, which you can sort and limit different ways, but are essentially still an unorganized list of results. MedlinePlus curates and organizes a set of trustworthy resources that are designed to help people learn more about a topic without being overwhelmed or confused. In these screenshots of the basic results from a search on sleep apnea, Consumer Health Complete gives 1706 results, but in the first 10 articles, only one is written for consumers, and it is an article from Mens Health about how sleep apnea affects athletes and sexual performan ce.

Use displays to reinforce public health messages

Libraries dont have many adult-level book-length materials on public health topics like toothbrushing, flu shots, child passenger safety, summer safety, mosquito-born illness, skin cancer prevention and carbon monoxide safety. And yet the Kansas Department of Health and Environment has identified many of these topics as important public health topics to promote. Partnering with KDHE to use displays in the library helps raise awareness of these messages in a visually interesting way. As part of national Poison Prevention Week, the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library partnered with Kansas Department of Health and Environment and Safe Kids Kansas to create a Poison Purse display in the librarys Health Information Neighborhood, showing how medicines and candies look identical to a child in search of something sweet to eat. http://tscpl.org/health-information/toxins-at-home-and-the-poison-purse/ The Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library partnered with Oral Health Kansas to create a display near the Kids Library that asks people to consider how much sugar is in their drink. Free handouts including Healthy Eating for a Healthy Mouth and toothbrushing tips were provided next to the display. http://tscpl.org/health-information/whats-in-your-drink-displayeducates-about-sugary-drinks-and-toothbrushing/

Order free pamphlets for some trustworthy take-home materials

Some quality pamphlets that are popular with our customers come from: http://www.nia.nih.gov/health/publication Includes AgePage pamphlets on many topics, Go4Life exercise, and topical fact sheets https://pubs.cancer.gov/ncipl/ Cancer resources (you are limited to ordering 20 at a time) including booklets for coping with cancer, prevention and treatments.

Display them alongside books on the same topic to give people a brief overview of key topics that they can freely take home or give to a friend.

Promote Healthcare.gov
Providing accurate information on the Affordable Care Act is a straightforward health literacy issue, not a political statement. Train your staff to direct customers to healthcare.gov for information on the Health Insurance Marketplace and learn how to locate the trained Navigators in your county. See what TSPCL is doing at http://www.tscpl.org/marketplace

Promote services that support Patient Centered Medical Home

This emerging model of service from the medical community will encourage consumers to understand their own health issues and make informed decisions. The patient-centered medical homeone of modern health cares most important innovationsis a model of care that emphasizes care coordination and communication to transform primary care into what patients want it to be. (from http://www.ncqa.org) Recognizing that patients and families are core members of the care team, medical home practices ensure that they are fully informed partners in establishing care plans and includes shared decision making with patients and families. http://www.pcmh.ahrq.gov. How can library resources support that process?

Treat targeted groups to customized information

Empower your community partners to refer people to the library. Help other local health or support groups direct people back to the library by creating targeted topical handouts. Create a handout branded with your librarys information, but advertising the library books and recommended websites and databases for the specific topic. Some topical ideas that may have support groups or non-profit organizations in your community include: Pregnancy Breastfeeding Heart Disease Diabetes Breast Cancer Autism

Health Literacy Kansas (and other umbrella organizations) may offer more
Health Literacy Kansas focuses on the Parent Health Literacy Project offered through Kansas Head Start Association and funded by a grant through the United Methodist Health Ministry Fund. The program works directly with health providers, to train parents to use the book What to do when your child gets sick to make educated decisions when seeking health care and treatments. http://healthliteracykansas.org/

Dont reinvent the wheel. Take advantage of the many existing partnerships, programs and initiatives that are happening now.
From a recent press release: KLA receives $50,000 Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas Foundation Health Literacy in Public Libraries Grant The Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas Foundation board of directors has approved the Health Literacy in Public Libraries grant proposal for the amount of $50,000. Working in conjunction with the State Library of Kansas and the Kansas Library Association Educational Foundation, KLA will be sponsoring 40 traveling health literacy kiosks. KLA will work with the State Library and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment to provide training, resources and other materials needed in project execution. The stations will be equipped with an iPad, iPad stand with anti-theft hardware, banner and stand. Users will visit the self-sustaining health literacy center and interact with the following resources: Move Across Kansas Fitness Tracker, Test Your Knowledge Interactive Health Quiz, Consumer Health Complete, MEDLINE, ProQuest Nursing & Allied Health, Local Health Department Information, Environmental Health, Disease Control and Prevention, Vaccine Information

Teach customers Ask Me 3 and display it alongside your health information collections
Ask Me 3 is a patient education program designed to improve communication between patients and health care providers, encourage patients to become active members of their health care team, and promote improved health outcomes. The program encourages patients to ask their health care providers three questions: What is my main problem? What do I need to do? Why is it important for me to do this? Studies show that people who understand health instructions make fewer mistakes when they take their medicine or prepare for a medical procedure. They may also get well sooner or be able to better manage a chronic health condition.

Skim the Health Literacy Action Plan. Find ways your library can support the ideas.
http://www.health.gov/communication/HLActionPlan/

Partner with your local county health department on their initiatives.

Dont just tell them what you want to do. Ask them what they are doing and offer to help, using library resources.

Send a library representative to local health coalition meetings, United Way meetings, or other health-related community gatherings.
Listen, observe, and offer library resources to existing events and partnerships.

Promote health information in all available formats

Promote Audiobooks and downloadable audiobooks for walking Checkout or download new music for your workout routine Download health and fitness ebooks Check out a workout DVD

Empower your customers to monitor their own health information

Create Health Bags or use other innovative ideas to offer people convenience
Stop by our Health Neighborhood and check out the health bags that we have available. The bags cover diseases from AD/HD and Alzheimers to Managing Diabetes or Heart Health. Plus, we have bags on wellness topics like Walking and Yoga. The materials in the bag are carefully selected by librarians. Each bag contains 4 or 5 books on the specific health topic, and some bags contain an informational DVD. Browse a list of Health Bags in the library catalog and place a request if the one you want is checked out.