Hospital Service Sign for Low-literacy Patients: Action Research

Abstract

Hospital information signs to promote behavior for continuity of care is
a part of the essential hospital information provided to a patient and their
family members. However, most signs are difficult for the low-literacy patients
and family members to read. Therefore the Health Education Unit at Lampang
Hospital conducted an action research study to assess the problem and
develop a protocol to test whether the process is effective. The action
research team was composed of representatives from the hospital leader team,
the health educator team, 10 low education patients, and the graphic team.
This working group started by assessing the coverage and readability levels of
the signs, then presented the findings to the hospital lead team for creating
awareness and seeking support. A hospital sign development protocol was
drafted and approved by the hospital lead team. After getting approval,
implementation took place and lessons learned were drawn. Quality
procedures were developed based on the lessons learned. The hospital
Health Education Unit should be responsible for developing hospital sign
quality procedures for low-literacy patients.