News, tools and resources from PATH - Better understand health literacy universal precautions, how customer experience translates to patient safety and more!

July 2024 | Issue 40

NEW FROM PATH

Health Literacy Universal Precautions | View handout

Using health literacy universal precautions acknowledges health literacy is different for everyone. It means approaching all patients as if they will likely not understand health information communicated to them so you are communicating actionable information clearly.

This handout discusses the importance of using health literacy universal precautions and discuss their key principles.

IHS PARTNER SPOTLIGHT

Patient Experience Training: Spreading a Wise Practice

The Partnership to Advance Tribal Health (PATH) responded to a request from an Indian Health Service (IHS) partner facility to develop a customer experience training -- and this training series is spreading to other facilities.

A customer experience program that improves communication with patients and families and creates a culture of empathy can have a positive impact on patient satisfaction, patient safety and overall quality of care.

Learn more about this customer (patient) experience training series.

TAKE 5 FOR SAFETY

Person-Centered Customer Service and Care

Studies indicate consistent positive associations between the patient experience, patient safety and clinical effectiveness. But what does it mean to provide a person-centered patient experience to improve customer service - and patient safety?

In this month's "Take 5 for Safety" article, we provide part one of a two-part series on how improved customer service translates to improved patient safety, offering some person-centered service basics and a couple tools and resources for actionable practice.

PATH EVENTS

Honoring Our Quality Journey| Register now | View event flyer

Tuesday, August 6

1 p.m. EDT | 12 p.m. CDT | 11 a.m. MDT | 10 a.m. PDT

Join IHS, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and PATH for a 90-minute call to reflect on your quality improvement (QI) goals, celebrate each other’s work, share lessons learned and discuss ways to continue your steps forward.

Session Objectives

Celebrate each other’s QI accomplishment
Describe strategies and tools used by presenters to achieve and sustain success
Identify areas of collaboration, QI methods and helpful resources to try
Discuss lessons learned, including challenges and mitigation strategies relevant to ongoing QI work

This event is intended for PATH-participating IHS hospital/facility staff, including quality managers, infection preventionists, pharmacists, nursing and supervisors, employee health, administrative teams, information technology, clinical application coordinators and more.

Office Hours: IHS Opioid Surveillance Dashboard | Register now

Wednesday, August 21

2-3 p.m. EDT | 1-2 p.m. CDT | 12-1 p.m. MDT | 11 a.m.-12 p.m. PDT

The IHS National Committee on Heroin Opioids and Pain Efforts (HOPE Committee) is hosting these open office hours sessions on the use of the IHS Opioid Dashboard. Join us to

Ask questions about the dashboard
Understand dashboard capability
Address real-world scenarios in dashboard use
Teach new techniques
Offer dashboard requests, recommendations or enhancements

This call is open to any area and local IHS staff who use or are interested in learning more about this data tool.

IN THE KNOW

Roadmap to Better Care

The Office of Minority Health and Division of Tribal Affairs released the newly updated Roadmap to Better Care: Tribal Version. CMS encourages anyone who helps American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) populations understand their benefits to print out the booklet and have it on hand. The booklet includes:

A new introduction, which explains the unique health protections in place for AIAN populations
An updated glossary of terms
Important links and contact information
Updated imagery to enhance connection and inclusivity

The Way Forward:

Report by the Commission on Native Children

This report, now available online, offers 29 recommendations to improve the overall system of programs, grants and supports to help AIAN children thrive. Recommendations include providing comprehensive prenatal health education and related services, improving student access to education and services around trauma, suicide and substance misuse and funding for sexual health programs. The report also showcases successful efforts to promote wellness and resilience.

AUGUST OBSERVANCES: TOOLS AND RESOURCES

National Immunization Awareness Month

National Immunization Awareness Month offers the opportunity to discuss vaccinations with your patients and with your staff. While flu, pneumonia and COVID are often highlighted as the approaching season's "tripledemic," respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is also becoming a factor and is more prominent in AIAN children compared to other children. Use these resources to raise awareness about the importance of staying up to date on their vaccinations.

Indigenous Milk Medicine Week (August 8-14)

Mind. Body. Milk Medicine. As part of National Breastfeeding Month, this year's theme for Indigenous Milk Medicine Week focuses on the connection between well-being, mental health and milk medicine.

The IHS Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative works to create a healthy start for babies and supports and promotes breastfeeding.
If interested, learn about or promote a five-day, 45-hour course to get Indigenous Breastfeeding Counselor Certification.

Safe + Sound Week (August 12-18)

Safe + Sound Week each August celebrates organizations that commit to safety. Hundreds of organizations across the country have already registered to participate. The week recognizes safety efforts across a variety of industries, including safety in health care. The week also offers an opportunity to focus on the CDC Occupational Health Equity Program, which takes aim at eliminating avoidable work-related injury, illness and death due to social, economic or environmental disadvantages.

International Overdose Awareness Day (August 31)

This year's theme for International Overdose Awareness Day is "Together we can," highlighting the power of our communities when we stand together. IHS and PATH offer tools and resources to discuss preventing opioid overdose:

The IHS naloxone webpage offers posters, flyers, templates and other tools for educating about how naloxone reverses an opioid overdose.
PATH has a handout to help pharmacists talk about naloxone with patients prescribed opioids.

PARTNERSHIP TO ADVANCE TRIBAL HEALTH (PATH) | Visit the PATH website

This material was prepared by Comagine Health for the American Indian Alaska Native Healthcare Quality Initiative under contract with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Views expressed in this material do not necessarily reflect the official views or policy of CMS or HHS, and any reference to a specific product or entity herein does not constitute endorsement of that product or entity by CMS or HHS. NQIIC-AIHQI-588-07/10/2024