Good Questions for Good Health: How to Implement Health Literacy Coaching into your MOW and Senior Center Programs

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Good Questions for Good Health How to Implement
Health Literacy Coaching into your MOW and Senior
Center Programs
Vicki S. Freimuth, Ph.D. Terry Kaley, MA,
RD University of Georgia
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Presentation Overview

• Why Health Literacy is important for MOW clients
• Good Questions for Good Health InterventionWhat
  it is
• How to implement it in your programs
• Materials to take home today
• Testimonials from MOW clients

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Typical 75 Year Old. . .

• Has three chronic health conditions
• Takes 5 prescription drugs
• Intense need for health information
• 39 have below basic functional health literacy
  (based on reading skills)

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All the sources you turn to when you need information or assistance in dealing with health or medical issues" All the sources you turn to when you need information or assistance in dealing with health or medical issues"

Ask a health professional 86
Ask a friend or family member 68
Use the internet 57
Use books or other printed reference material 54
Contact insurance provider 33
Other option 5
Source Pew Internet American Life Project Survey, November-December 2008. N2253. Margin of error is /-2. American adults 18 years and over Source Pew Internet American Life Project Survey, November-December 2008. N2253. Margin of error is /-2. American adults 18 years and over
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Interactive Health Literacy
the personal trait, as well as the process, of
actively seeking out information about health and
safety from interpersonal sources in order to
treat current disease and reduce future risk.
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Why is Interactive Health Literacy so Important?

• Participation in medical encounters
• Higher satisfaction
• Higher compliance
• Better health outcomes
• Disease management
• Reducing health disparities
• Patient/Hospital safety

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Health Literacy and Shame

• People with limited health literacy often report
  feeling a sense of shame about their skill level.
• Individuals with poor literacy skills are often
  uncomfortable about being unable to read well,
  and they develop strategies to compensate.

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Health Literacy on Wheels
Months 7-9
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Steps to Implement

• Recruit coaches
• Train coaches
• Coaches implement (over 3 months)
• Visit 1Deliver materials, show video one, first
  coaching
• Visit 2-second coaching
• Visit 3-show video 2, final coaching

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How to Recruit Coaches

• Volunteers and Staff
• Home Bound Congregate Dining Sites
• Selling the intervention

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Benefits to Coaches

• Improved personal communication and literacy
  skills
• Help clients improve their health
• Deepen relationships with clients

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Coaches Must Agree to

• Continue MOW for 3 months
• Attend a two hour training session
• Identify up to 5 clients to participate
• Conduct a minimum of 3 coaching sessions with
  each client over 3 months

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Our Coaches!!
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Training Coaches

• Introducing GQ4GH to your volunteers and staff
• What are the program steps?
• How to train health literacy coaches
• Materials to make training and coaching easy

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Start with questions

• QUESTIONS
• ARE THE ANSWERS!!!

• What is my main problem?
• What do I need to do?
• Why is it important for me to do it?

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Question 1 What is my main problem?

• Mrs. Johnson, we have found some skin cancer on
  your cheek

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Question 2 What do I need to do?

• Mrs. Johnson, we need to remove that skin
  cancer by.

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Question 3 Why is it important for me to do
this?

• If we do not remove it, the cancer will grow
  and spread and could lead to your death.

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When should I ask these questions?

• When you see your doctor or a nurseor a
  pharmacist
• When you prepare for a medical test
• When you pick up your medications

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Health Literacy on Wheels
Months 7-9
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Month 1

• Coaches Deliver Materials to Clients
• GQ4GH Brochure
• GQ4GH Question Notepad
• Coaches Show video 1 Three Little Questions
  Your Health Care Professional Wants You to Ask
• Script for coach and client to discuss the video

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Health Literacy on Wheels
Months 7-9
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Month 2 Coaching Clients

• Training Volunteers to Coach
• Good Communication Skills for coaching
• How to Coach for Health Literacy
• Coach Modeling Video
• Coach Role Play Training Script

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Communication SkillsWhat to do What to
avoid

• Avoid judging
• Avoid advising
• Dont preach

• Empower the person you are talking to
• Offer information in a caring and helpful way

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How to Train Coaches

• View Coach Modeling Video
• Homebound Client
• Congregate Dining Client
• Role Play Practice Session - Breakout
• Coach
• Client
• Observer

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Health Literacy on Wheels
Months 7-9
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Month 3

• Coach shows video 2 to client How to Make
  Sure You Get Answers to Good Questions for Good
  Health
• Coach clients to overcome barriers they may have
  encountered after using GQ4GH

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Coaching to Overcome Barriers

• View video 2
• Breakout session 2 to practice
• Coach script
• Switch places Coach, client observer

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Health Literacy on Wheels
Months 7-9
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Toolkit Materials

• Toolkit Overview Instructions
• Recruitment Flyer
• Coach Training Materials
• Scripts for coaching showing videos
• Print Materials
• Templates Calendar, brochure, notepad,
  newsletter
• Videos

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Contact Us

• University of Georgia Center for Health Risk
  Communication
• Vicki Freimuth, Director freimuth_at_uga.edu
• Terry Kaley tkaley_at_uga.edu

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Some Final Words

• GQ4GH Succeeds Because
• Its easy
• The message is simple and delivered by a personal
  contact
• Benefits
• Better reporting to doctors
• Better patient understanding and compliance
  fewer medication errors
• Listen to what one client has to say