Barriers, Enablers, and Consumer Design Ideas for Health Literacy Responsive Hospital Waiting Areas: A Framework Method Analysis

Do health service waiting areas contribute to the health literacy of consumers? A scoping review

Health service waiting areas commonly provide health information, resources and supports for consumers; however, the effect on health literacy and related outcomes remains unclear. This scoping review of the literature aimed to explore the use of waiting areas as a place to contribute to the health literacy and related outcomes of consumers attending health appointments. Articles were included if they focussed on health literacy or health literacy responsiveness (concept) in outpatient or primary care health service waiting areas (context) for adult consumers (population) and were published after 2010. Ten bibliographic databases, one full-text archive, dissertation repositories and web sources were searched. The search yielded 5095 records. After duplicate removal, 3942 title/abstract records were screened and 360 full-text records assessed. Data were charted into a standardized data extraction tool. A total of 116 unique articles (published empirical and grey literature) were included. Most articles were set in primary and community care (49%) waiting areas. A diverse range of health topics and resource types were available, but results demonstrated they were not always used by consumers. Outcomes measured in intervention studies were health knowledge, intentions and other psychological factors, self-reported and observed behaviours, clinical outcomes and health service utilization. Intervention studies overall demonstrated positive trends in health literacy-related outcomes, although the benefit declined after 3-6 months. Research on using waiting areas for health literacy purposes is increasing globally. Future research investigating the needs of consumers to inform optimal intervention design is needed.

Exploring Clinical Nurse Specialist Impact in Primary Health Care: Exemplars From a Student's Clinical Practice

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES

Primary healthcare (PHC) is a clinical frontier full of opportunities for clinical nurse specialists (CNSs) to improve population outcomes, facilitate smooth care transitions, and overcome challenges through a unique lens. Clinical nurse specialist practice in primary care is exceedingly rare, and there is a paucity of literature on the topic. This article provides exemplary projects implemented by a CNS student in a primary care clinic.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT/PROGRAM

Primary healthcare has been described as the "front door" of the health system. It has increasingly relied on nursing to deliver health services, yet PHC and nursing practice in this setting remain poorly defined. Clinical nurse specialists are well-positioned to define these concepts, standardize processes used to deliver services, and impact patient outcomes in PHC. The CNS student successfully supported a primary care clinic in these activities.

OUTCOME

Reviewing the impact of the CNS student's experience offers a better understanding of CNS practice in PHC.

CONCLUSION

Gaps exist in the literature regarding best practices and care delivery in PHC. Clinical nurse specialists are educationally prepared to address these gaps and improve patient outcomes at the health system's "front door." Utilizing a CNS's unique skill set achieves cost-effective and efficient healthcare delivery in a new way that bolsters the strategy of utilizing nurse practitioners to meet the challenge of provider shortages.

Seeking Choice to Fulfill Health Literacy Needs: Health Literacy Opportunities for Consumers in Hospital Waiting Areas

In this research, we explore and theorize on the potential of hospital outpatient rehabilitation waiting areas to respond and contribute to the health literacy needs of consumers. Constructivist grounded theory informed the sampling and analytical procedures. Thirty-three consumers attending outpatient rehabilitation for a range of health conditions were recruited to this multi-site study. Semi-structured interview and participant observation data were collected and analyzed concurrently using the constant comparison method. The substantive theory of "seeking choice to fulfill health literacy needs" and five interdependent categories were developed. Results indicated that consumers sought choice reflective of their needs; however, the waiting area offered limited choice. Consumers shared ideas to address the lack of choice. Results provide insight into the health literacy needs of consumers in hospital outpatient waiting areas and how health services can appropriately respond to these needs. Future research should investigate the effect of health service environments on health outcomes.