In my role as the Outreach Librarian, one of my responsibilities is to support informed decision making by both clinical staff and the public, by delivering training and resources to improve health literacy awareness. Health literacy means the “ability to engage with health information and services” (WHO, 2015, p11) and we all need to be able to understand health information in order to have agency in our own healthcare.
However, as medical knowledge and treatments become more sophisticated, the ability of the majority of the population to understand complex health information has not kept pace. It is therefore vitally important that clinicians present information, both verbally and in print, in ways that can be understood by patients and that trusted information outlets such as schools and public libraries play a role in educating the public in accessing reliable health information.
Since joining the LKS team at Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, my role has included running training courses for healthcare professionals to make them aware of the outcomes of poor health literacy and to offer strategies to use when speaking to patients to check that they understand the information they have been given. Additionally, I am updating an online training offering for library staff at our local town library to enable them to advise their patrons on accessing evidence-based, reliable health information sources. I am also fortunate to be working as part of a team of health librarians from different NHS Trusts who are creating a health literacy toolkit for schools; a collection of resources to enable library and teaching staff to begin teaching the skills that young people will need as they mature, empowering them to become active participants in their own healthcare needs. We plan to launch this web resource next month, watch this space for further updates.
Finally, I am very excited to be hosting a conversation with Dr Lucy Pollock next month to discuss her book, The Book About Getting Older (for people who don’t want to talk about it). This book makes an invaluable contribution to the cause of health literacy; it is written in the most accessible language and explains an array of health information through stories and scenarios that everyone can relate to. I encourage you to book your tickets to this free, virtual event, taking place on 5th July 2021 at 7:30pm by clicking here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-book-about-getting-older-for-people-who-dont-want-to-talk-about-it-tickets-158122924925
Veronica
Clinical Outreach Librarian
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