Health Literacy in Austria
Health literacy became a policy topic in Austria in 2011/12, initiated by expert discussions on the results of the first comparative European Health Literacy Survey (HLS-EU). The findings indicated that health literacy in Austria was one of the lowest in Europe. This was the basis for including health literacy in the process of developing national health targets and the foundation of the Austrian Health Literacy Alliance.
Main steps of the Austrian journey
Data to inform (health) policy
The findings of the HLS-EU revealed that 56% of the Austrian population was affected by limited health literacy. The findings were widely communicated in Austrian expert communities and presented with urgency to senior decision makers. Austria’s position in this survey came as a wake-up call to the national
health authorities and expert community.
Windows of opportunity
The data from the HLS-EU Survey became available at a time when Austria was just about to start two important national reform processes: the comprehensive and intersectoral Austrian health target process, and a new approach to the ongoing Austrian healthcare reform process (‘management by
targets’).
Health Target 3: Enhancing health literacy
In 2012, the Austrian Ministry of Health set ten public health targets. Health target 3 is ‘to enhance HL in the population’. It was prioritised by the health target plenary as it was understood as the most urgent and promising target. A working group developed specific sub-targets, main indicators of success and concrete interventions to improve health literacy in Austria. The three sub-targets are as follows:
- To make the health system more health literate through involving stakeholders and those affected (for example, by developing healthliterate organisations in healthcare)
- To strengthen individual HL in consideration of vulnerable groups (for example, by collaborating with the education system)
- To embed HL in the service and production sectors (the economic system).
First Action Plan for Health Target 3
The working group on this national health target had identified a coordination structure as being crucial for achieving a critical and lasting impact. As a consequence, the Austrian Health Literacy Alliance was established as the national steering body to support and coordinate acitivities in relation to this target.
The Austrian Health Literacy Alliance
The Alliance started its work in 2015 and presented itself along with its goals to a professional audience at its first conference on September 23, 2015, in Vienna.
A national strategy for improving the quality of personal communication in healthcare
Communication between professionals and patients is key to patient-centred and efficient
healthcare and to health literacy. In 2015 a national strategy for improving the quality of personal, patient-centred communication in healthcare was developed. The strategy was passed by the main decision-making body for the Austrian healthcare system in 2016.
First Evaluation of the Austrian Health Literacy Alliance
In 2016, an independent evaluation was performed after the first year of activities. The evaluation report confirmed successful capacity-building for improving health literacy in Austria, and came up with some recommendations.
Second Evaluation of the Austrian Health Literacy Alliance
Given that the platform has significantly advanced both quantitatively and qualitatively over the past five years, a second external evaluation of the Alliance’s work was conducted. The results confirm that the ÖPGK has successfully continued its work and made substantial progress.
Going forward
- Health literacy mainstreaming: Health literacy is integrated in the Health Promotion Strategy, the Austrian eHealth Strategy, the Strategy to imprive patient navigation.
- Specific health literacy action: strengthen and expand the Austrian Health Literacy Alliance, expand communication training program for healthcare professionals.
- Monitoring progress: the next Austrian health literacy survey in the framework of the HLS24 survey of M-POHL is in preparation for 2025.
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Mehr InformationenThe Austrian Health Literacy Alliance
In 2015, the Austrian Health Literacy Alliance started its work. A “core team” was established as a decision-making body. It consists of members of the federal government, federal states, social security institutions and Health in All Policies (HiAP) partners. It is chaired by a representative of the Austrian Federal Ministry of Social Affairs, Health, Care and Consumer Protection.
To support the priorities of Health Target 3 the Alliance fulfills the following tasks:
- Support sustainable development and establishment of health literacy in Austria
- Promote networking, collaboration, and knowledge transfer
- Coordinate measures between different political and social sectors
- Foster a common understanding of health literacy, spread knowledge and facilitate innovation
- Establish monitoring and reporting, and ensure transparency and quality
In addition, to improve health literacy in the population, intersectoral working groups have been installed to develop guidelines, tools and activities. Relatedly, the Alliance has 5 focus areas.
The coordination centre
The coordinating centre of the Alliance supports the core team and acts as a knowledge centre. It organizes an annual health literacy conference, network events for members and supports awareness building through diverse activities (website, newsletters, social media, annual health literacy award, targeted stakeholder communication). Also, it encourages the implementation of health literacy measures by a membership process for organisations performing health literacy interventions.
Members of the Austrian Health Literacy Alliance
The Health Literacy Alliance has a membership structure with 3 different levels:
- Organisations performing health literacy interventions
Organsations or persons whose activities and projects support Health Target 3 can apply to be a member of the Health Literacy Alliance. The "core team" decides, if the projects‘ aims are in accord to pre-defined criteria. By now, 50 Organisations with 67 projects are part of the Health Literacy Alliance.
- Communication trainers
Through a train-the-trainer program, new trainers for patient-centred healthcare communication become members of the Alliance. By now, there are 61 trainers.
- Health literate open youth work centres
In Austria, standards for health literate open youth work centres were developed, along with an accreditation program. By now, 70 youth centres are certified and members of the Alliance.
