Patients who lack an understanding of their health information experience negative health outcomes.

Health professionals play a critical role in ensuring patients and their families have an accurate understanding of their disease, treatment and side effects and are supported to independently access appropriate information materials safely.

This rapid learning follows the journey of “Jane” and highlights 3 practical tips you can implement today to master patient education.

Patient Information website feedback! 
We're pleased to share a sneak peek of the new Patient Information website. A range of cancer type specific information will be available from early March 2019. We'd love your clinical feedback as we prepare to launch the site. Email: Jennifer.Cater@health.nsw.gov.au 

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Additional resources

Health literacy guides

  1. Clinical Excellence Commission: Health literacy
  2. Western Sydney Local Health District: Health literacy hub
  3. Hunter New England and Central Coast Primary Health Network: Health literacy guide

Universal health literacy precautions

  1. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (USA): Health literacy universal precautions toolkit

The teach back technique

  1. South Eastern Sydney Local Health District and Deakin University: Teach back module
  2. South Australia Health: Teach back information sheet
  3. North Western Melbourne Primary Health Network: Teach back - a technique for clear communication (video)
  4. Institute for Healthcare Improvement: What is teach-back? (video)
References: 
  1. Australian Bureau of Statistics., 2006. Health Literacy, Australia, Commonwealth of Australia, viewed 30 January 2019, <https://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/Latestproducts/4233.0Main%20Features22006?opendocument&tabname=Summary&prodno=4233.0&issue=2006&num=&view=>
  2. Australian Comission on Safety and Quality in Health Care, 2014. Health literacy: taking action to improve safety and quality, Commonwealth of Australia, viewed 30 January 2019, <https://www.safetyandquality.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Health-Literacy-Taking-action-to-improve-safety-and-quality.pdf>
  3. Cancer Institute NSW, 2018. Cancer literacy study (DRAFT), Hall and Partners
  4. Damude, S., Hoekstra-Weebers, J.E.H.M., van Leeuwen, B.L. and Hoekstra, H.J., 2017. Melanoma patients' disease-specific knowledge, information preference, and appreciation of educational YouTube videos for self-inspection. European Journal of Surgical Oncology (EJSO), 43(8), pp.1528-1535.
  5. Hesse, B.W., Nelson, D.E., Kreps, G.L., Croyle, R.T., Arora, N.K., Rimer, B.K. and Viswanath, K., 2005. Trust and sources of health information: the impact of the Internet and its implications for health care providers: findings from the first Health Information National Trends Survey. Archives of internal medicine, 165(22), pp.2618-2624.
  6. Anderson, A.S., 2008. The Internet: friend or foe when providing patient education?. Clinical journal of oncology nursing, 12(1), p.55.
  7. Ballard, D. and Hill, J.M.F., 2016. The Nurse's Role in Health Literacy of Patients With Cancer. Clinical journal of oncology nursing, 20(3).
  8. Beaver, C.C. and Magnan, M.A., 2016. Managing Chemotherapy Side Effects: Achieving Reliable and Equitable Outcomes. Clinical journal of oncology nursing, 20(6).
  9. Damude, S., Hoekstra-Weebers, J.E.H.M., van Leeuwen, B.L. and Hoekstra, H.J., 2017. Melanoma patients' disease-specific knowledge, information preference, and appreciation of educational YouTube videos for self-inspection. European Journal of Surgical Oncology (EJSO), 43(8), pp.1528-1535.
  10. Howell, D., Harth, T., Brown, J., Bennett, C. and Boyko, S., 2017. Self-management education interventions for patients with cancer: a systematic review. Supportive Care in Cancer, 25(4), pp.1323-1355.
  11. Jensen, J.D., Liu, M., Carcioppolo, N., John, K.K., Krakow, M. and Sun, Y., 2017. Health information seeking and scanning among US adults aged 50–75 years: Testing a key postulate of the information overload model. Health informatics journal, 23(2), pp.96-108.
  12. Leydon, G.M., Boulton, M., Moynihan, C., Jones, A., Mossman, J., Boudioni, M. and McPherson, K., 2000. Cancer patients' information needs and information seeking behaviour: in depth interview study. Bmj, 320(7239), pp.909-913.
  13. Schreier, A.M. and Williams, S.A., 2004, January. Anxiety and quality of life of women who received radiation or chemotherapy for breast cancer. In Oncology nursing forum(Vol. 31, No. 1, pp. 127-130). ONCOLOGY NURSING SOCIETY. 
  14. Shaw, J., Harrison, J., Young, J., Butow, P., Sandroussi, C., Martin, D. and Solomon, M., 2013. Coping with newly diagnosed upper gastrointestinal cancer: a longitudinal qualitative study of family caregivers’ role perception and supportive care needs. Supportive care in cancer, 21(3), pp.749-756.
  15. Vaartio-Rajalin, H., Huumonen, T., Iire, L., Jekunen, A., Leino-Kilpi, H., Minn, H. and Paloniemi, J., 2015. Patient Education Process in Oncologic Context: What, Why, and by Whom?. Nursing research, 64(5), pp.381-390.
  16. Yoon, H., Sohn, M., Choi, M. and Jung, M., 2017. Conflicting Online Health Information and Rational Decision Making: Implication for Cancer Survivors. The health care manager, 36(2), pp.184-191.

 

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