2013

Pop quiz: how many pills per day should you take if your prescription says, “Take 2 pills twice daily.” If you’re not sure if that’s a total of two pills per day or four pills per day, you’re not alone.*

In a recent study of adults from different backgrounds, nearly half misunderstood at least one out of five prescription labels. Those with low health literacy rates frequently misunderstood four out of five labels.

Poorly worded materials, or those written at a high reading level, can have disastrous–even deadly–effects on patients. The best way to fix the problem is for health systems and health departments to train public health professionals to write clearly.

Begin by incorporating these four areas into your training program:

1. Stop using medical terminology.

Make it a policy not to use terms like “renal” or “influenza” in communication with patients. They’re not clear and frequently misinterpreted.

Jargon is the scourge of all industries, but nowhere is it more damaging than in healthcare. Misunderstanding what a health worker is saying regarding treatment might make the difference between life and death in a patient.

Health literacy rates are remarkably low in this country–according to the Health Literacy Fact Sheet 9 out of 10 people don’t have the skills necessary to manage health and prevent disease.

Patients may understand far less than you think they do. According to a study from the Department of Emergency Medicine, State University of New York at Buffalo, a group of 249 adults understood less than half of the terms they were asked, including:

The typical patient walking out of a doctor’s appointment can remember only about half of what they were just told. The combination of a flood of information, new terminology and, in some cases, shock can make it difficult for anyone to absorb everything.

This fact is at odds with common assumptions about health literacy. Members of healthcare teams are often incorrect supposing that patients with low health literacy are poor, elderly, uneducated or non-native English speakers. While those kinds of populations may indeed have difficulty understanding treatment and prevention, it’s still a dangerous misconception that leads to a remarkably low health literacy rate. Government research shows that 9 out of 10 people lack the skills they need to manage their health and prevent disease.

Marlborough, MA, October 15, 2013 – Patient care teams that focus on prostate health now have another option to add to their training arsenal. Cancer Resource Foundation, a leader in educational resources for the cancer community, and organizers of the Boston Prostate Cancer Walk & 5K Run is now offering a new course, Core Competencies

A Step-by-Step Strategy Guide for Training Community Health Workers Online

Things are moving fast in the world of training health workers: expansion of jobs, updates to health guidelines, changes in healthcare law–all in the midst of budget cutbacks and limited resources. Many organizations need a way of keeping their staff trained and are considering moving to an online training program. The big question is no longer, “Should we implement an e-learning program?” but, “How should we implement an e-learning program?”

One of the first questions we ask during the kickoff of a new project is, “Who’s taking ownership of this e-learning project?” It’s incredible how many times that answer is, “Nobody.”

Involvement is crucial for a successful e-learning program. Appointing no one as the champion for your program will have one of two outcomes: no one will do anything and your program will be wasted, or someone will do everything, but you’ll never respect or realize the amount of work they do.

Managing an online training program is a big job. Bigger than you may realize, and it is specialized work. The e-learning manager is often the go-to person for scheduling, managing updates, coordinating review staff, and answering all questions. If anyone wants something done, it falls to the e-learning manager.

Look for someone who …

Has learned online. All the better if they have taught online or at least earned a degree online.

The key launch date for the Affordable Care Act is only weeks away, but the problem remains that there are too few people who know enough about health insurance to be able to explain it to 30 million people who have never been insured.

The federal government has recruited nonprofits and related organizations to help with training, but many of these groups lack the foundation they need to begin the intensive government “navigator” programs. Many groups have little or no experience in health insurance, such as church groups or soup kitchens. But even medically experienced health workers and educators lack core skills around understanding health insurance.

An important first step is understanding the basics about insurance–topics that deal with how people sign up for help, what kinds of programs are free for them, and important vocabulary terms.

Build a program that works by asking these 10 questions from the beginning.

An online platform for community health worker training can not only save your organization money over live training costs, but it can also increase worker engagement. Make sure before you move forward with a plan that you’re choosing the right format.

When you’re considering online training, the two chief delivery systems are a computer-based e-learning program on a learning management system (LMS) or a virtual meeting or seminar (aka webinar). The Community Health Worker Online Training Program is a hybrid program. It’s a mix of an e-learning program on an LMS and in-person training.

If you’re considering offering CHW training that includes an online element, this matrix might help you find the best tool for the job.

Ask yourself …

Webinar 10 Questions That Can Transform Your CHW Training Program Read More » New Online Course from CHWTraining.org Gives Community Health Workers Another Convenient, Affordable Option To Gain Core Skills Uncategorized / Monique WOBURN, MA, August 7, 2013 – Community Health Workers (CHWs) now have another option to add to their training arsenal. CHWTraining.org, a leader in online training, is now offering a new course, Community Health Worker Core Skills, which begins Sept. 16 and is now open for registration. Cost is $699 for the 6-week course. “We are very excited about this new course,” says Monique Cuvelier, president of CHWTraining.org. “Based on a curriculum developed by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, and facilitated by Master Trainer Marilyn Gardner, the course covers organizational skills, documentation skills, health disparities, social determinants of health, assessment skills and service coordination skills.” The course is designed to prepare individuals in community-oriented health and social service fields. It is an interactive, facilitated course that covers the essential knowledge CHWs need to offer community members healthcare options, build patient-physician relationships, provide patients with health education and counseling, and monitor the health and adherence to care of community members. New Online Course from CHWTraining.org Gives Community Health Workers Another Convenient, Affordable Option To Gain Core Skills Read More » Good to Great: 3 Reasons Why Training Helps CHWs Uncategorized / Monique Insurance decisions, health literacy, patient education, access to care: there are so many reasons why community health workers (CHWs) are desperately needed in the healthcare system. Their role is likely to continue growing, given budget cuts in health services and rising healthcare costs. The key to building a staff of CHW that is as skilled and useful as possible is training. As a leading online learning organization, CHWTraining.org is committed to making convenient and flexible online training available for community health workers. But how will your organization really benefit? 1.    Better Client Outcomes A community health worker who has been trained to navigate the healthcare system and has basic organization and assessment skills will be better able to handle the needs of the patients in your community. Those patients’ needs can addressed more quickly and feel confident that they have an expert looking over them. 2.    More Efficient Office Good to Great: 3 Reasons Why Training Helps CHWs Read More » Scroll to Top