IMPLEMENTATION OF THE AHRQ HEALTH LITERACY UNIVERSAL PRECAUTIONS TOOLKIT IN OUTPATIENT NEPHROLOGY

Abstract

Purpose: To increase nephrology staff confidence and awareness regarding universal precautions through implementation of the AHRQ Health Literacy Universal Precautions Toolkit 2nd Edition. Background: Individuals with CKD require a high level of care and should have an adequate level of health literacy to manage their condition. Health literacy skills are not routinely taught to healthcare teams to address this barrier. Universal precautions is the evidence based method to promote health literacy, however without proper teaching, these skills are not likely to develop on their own. Methods: Staff members at the Kidney Clinic of Hawaii were taught the AHRQ Health Literacy Universal Precautions Toolkit items 8 and 11: conduct brown bag medicine reviews and assess, select, and create easy-to-understand materials. A confidence and knowledge survey was administered at pre- and post-intervention timepoints. A follow up survey was administered at 1- and 2-month timepoints to assess for maintenance. Results: 5 staff members were included in the study. There was an overall increase in confidence and knowledge scores pre- and post- intervention. At 1- and 2- month timepoints, more patients were bringing medications to routine healthcare visits. Conclusions: The findings indicate increased staff confidence and knowledge of universal precautions. The DNP project successfully evaluated nephrology staff using interventions from the AHRQ Health Literacy Universal Precautions Toolkit and serves as a steppingstone to addressing health literacy barriers in specialty practices.