Design & Methods

The Design & methods section explains how the M-POHL OHL project develops and tests international organizational health literacy self-assessment tools for different settings. In hospitals, M-POHL uses the OHL-Hos tool (from the HPH & HLO working group) and supports participating countries with translation, cultural adaptation and piloting; based on early piloting experiences, a shorter hospital version is also being developed to improve feasibility for organizations. 
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For primary healthcare organizations and pharmacies, the project team has developed OHL-PHC (2022–2023), building on OHL-Hos and existing instruments, and countries are currently sharing early piloting experiences. Overall, the International Coordination Centre (ICC) applies a five-phase study design (initiation → tool development → translation/adaptation → national piloting → international synthesis/reporting) and facilitates continuous learning through international consortium meetings and exchange on implementation and roll-out strategies.

Overview:

  • The International Self-Assessment Tool for Organizational Health Literacy (Responsiveness) of Hospitals (OHL-Hos), which was developed by the International Working Group on Health Promoting Hospitals and Health Literate Healthcare Organizations (HPH & HLO) will be used in the M-POHL OHL project. In a first step the tool will be translated, cultural adapted, and piloted in the participating M-POHL countries. Building on the piloting results the tool might be slightly modified and is then ready for a larger roll out.
  • In addition, a shortened assessment tool for hospitals will be developed based on the OHL-Hos tool as first piloting results showed that for some organizations a less extensive tool would be more acceptable and feasible.

  • A M-POHL OHL working group has developed the International Self-Assessment Tool for Organizational Health Literacy in Primary Health Care Services (OHL-PHC) from 2022-2023. The OHL-PHC builds on the OHL-Hos and the OHL Self-AsseT (De Gani et al. 2020).
  • Currently in 2024, first experiences on translating, cultural adapting and piloting of the tool are gained and shared with the OHL consortium.

A study design with five phases was developed by the International Coordination Center (ICC) of M-POHL: 

  • Phase 1: Initiation of the international project
  • Phase 2: Development organizational health literacy assessment tools
  • Phase 3: Translation and cultural adaption of the organizational health literacy assessment tools
  • Phase 4: Piloting of the organizational health literacy assessment tools in one or more healthcare organizations in each country
  • Phase 5: International collecting and integrating of national experiences and results in an international report. 

In addition, several documents and supporting tools were provided to facilitate the process of translation, cultural adaption, and piloting of the tools and the documentation of experiences and results gained in this process.

Participating countries can attend M-POHL OHL project consortium meetings for an international exchange on their national experiences on their work on assessing organizational health literacy. Currently first experiences on translation, cultural adaption, and piloting are shared. In future, experiences on facilitating the uptake of organizational health literacy assessment tools and on implementing organizational health literacy by roll out procedures in the countries will be shared.

Back to Overview Organizational Health Literacy (OHL).