The AHIMA Foundation officially launched its Health Literacy for Health Equity initiative today. Over the next few years the Foundation plans to address the challenge of low health literacy from both the consumer/patient side as well as from the provider side. It is only through this two-front approach that the problem will be abated.
AHIMA Foundation
The AHIMA Foundation was established in 1997 as the charitable arm of the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA). It was founded to conduct research and provide training for Health Information Management professionals.
As healthcare rapidly digitized, the leaders of the AHIMA Foundation saw an opportunity to broaden their public benefit mandate.
“One of the most significant gaps in information sharing is the consumer’s ability to consistently access, understand and use their health information with confidence,” explained Anisa Tootla, Executive Director at AHIMA Foundation who sat down for an interview with Healthcare IT Today. “It’s really our desire to close that gap through resource creation, partnership and research.”
Health Literacy
The CDC defines health literacy as:
- Personal Health Literacy: The degree to which individuals have the ability to find, understand and use information and services to inform health-related decisions and actions for themselves and others.
- Organizational Health Literacy: is the degree to which organizations equitably enable individuals to find, understand, and use information and services to inform health-related decisions and actions for themselves and others.
This dual definition is key and is different than what most of us think of when we hear the word “health literacy”. The CDC rightly points out that the onus of addressing the need does not rest solely on the backs of individuals. Healthcare organizations have an important part to play and need to prioritize health literacy in their programs, policies, and technology investments.
Health Literacy for Health Equity initiative
The just-announced Health Literacy for Health Equity initiative from AHIMA Foundation is set to address this challenge on both fronts.
“There is an increasing urgency to address the systemic issue of low health literacy,” said Tootla. “Although it does disproportionately impact the most vulnerable populations, it is a widespread problem that impacts most of society. Poor health literacy contributes to poor outcomes, chronic disease, and higher healthcare costs. It also can be stigmatizing, which is something we don’t talk about a lot.”
To kick off the Initiative, the Foundation has created a new consumer-centric microsite where the public can find free resources to help raise their understanding of health information. At launch, there are three wonderful documents available:
- Questions to ask at your next appointment
- 6 Ways to use your online health information now
- Know your rights!
“We are going to add more resources to the site very rapidly,” promised Tootla.
Watch the full interview with Anisa Tootla to learn:
- How trust is a by-product of improving health literacy
- Why the newly announced Steering Committee was chosen to help lead the initiative.
- What Tootla would say to someone outside of healthcare to get them onboard the Health Literacy train
Learn more about the AHIMA Foundation: https://ahimafoundation.org/
Learn more about Health Literacy for Health Equity: https://healthinfoexplained.org/
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