Clear health communication is essential in the pursuit of the Quadruple Aim. When patients and caregivers understand instructions for navigating health systems and engaging in their care, experience is enriched and outcomes are improved. Conversely, lack of understanding can contribute to missed appointments, suboptimal self-care, and a host of sequelae including avoidable readmissions, declining health, and increased costs. Unfortunately, most adults lack proficient health literacy skills and have some difficulty finding, understanding, or using health information to benefit their health. Simply conveying information doesn't equal understanding. To overcome these challenges, healthcare providers must address health literacy limitations by improving the clarity in both their written and verbal communication with patients and caregivers. A team at our academic medical center led by the Center for Health Literacy is equipping health professions students with fundamental plain language communication skills through its longitudinal interprofessional education curriculum. Beginning with the exposure phase, all students in medicine, nursing, pharmacy, public health, and health-related professions review a family case and identify health literacy as a social determinant of health and clear communication as a necessary strategy to provide ethical, high-quality care. In the immersion phase of their interprofessional education curriculum, interdisciplinary teams of students may participate in a Quadruple Aim Proposal workshop focused on health literacy. Small groups are provided a problem statement and must produce a written proposal that leverages health literacy strategies to advance one or more elements of the Quadruple Aim. During their competence phase of learning, students may engage in team-based editing of materials including patient self-care instructions and surveys to apply plain language writing techniques that facilitate patients' ability to read, understand, and act on written information. This session will outline interdisciplinary student learning objectives across the three curriculum phases and describe how we accomplish each in a virtual learning environment.
In support of improving patient care, this activity is planned and implemented by The National Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education Office of Interprofessional Continuing Professional Development (OICPD). The OICPD is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.
As a Jointly Accredited Provider, the OICPD is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved under this program. State and provincial regulatory boards have the final authority to determine whether an individual course may be accepted for continuing education credit. The OICPD maintains responsibility for this course. Social workers completing this course receive continuing education credits.
This activity was planned by and for the healthcare team, and learners will receive Interprofessional Continuing Education (IPCE) credit for learning and change.
Physicians: The National Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education designates this live activity for AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™.
Physician Assistants: The American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA) accepts credit from organizations accredited by the ACCME.
Nurses: Participants will be awarded contact hours of credit for attendance at this workshop.
Nurse Practitioners: The American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Program (AANPCP) accepts credit from organizations accredited by the ACCME and ANCC.
Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians: This activity is approved for contact hours.
Social Workers: As a Jointly Accredited Organization, the National Center is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved under this program. State and provincial regulatory boards have the final authority to determine whether an individual course may be accepted for continuing education credit. The National Center maintains responsibility for this course. Social workers completing this course receive continuing education credits.
IPCE: This activity was planned by and for the healthcare team, and learners will receive Interprofessional Continuing Education (IPCE) credits for learning and change
