A NUMBER of Northsiders have been recognised for their achievements at this year’s Crystal Clear MSD Health Literacy Awards.
Glasnevin native, Aoife O’Sullivan, and her team were presented with the Best Health Promotion award for their project
‘BowelScreen Home Test Instructions.’
“The programme offers free screening using a home test to men and women aged 60-69 years,
? explained Aoife.
“Bowel cancer is the second most common newly-diagnosed cancer in Ireland, with over 2,000 new cases each year. The instructions were developed in partnership with NALA, involving focus groups and a pilot with the eligible population.
“We are extremely delighted to have won the award. It’s an honour to be recognised for our work. The campaign has been a great success and winning this award means we will gain national recognition for our efforts as well as raise further awareness of the project.
?
Castleknock native, Sally Downing, and her team (Fidelma Browne and Kate Mulvenna) were also honoured at the awards for their the success of their project
‘Generic Medicines and Reference Pricing Campaign.’
Speaking about the team’s achievement of being named a finalist, Sally said:
“Our project aimed to provide user-friendly information on generic medicines to help people make decisions and make the process of increased choice easier.
“The campaign elements include a website (www.hse.ie/ generics), a poster and patient guide for GP surgeries and pharmacies, information videos and internal communications for healthcare staff.
“We are delighted to be a finalist.
?
Another Castleknock local, Jennifer Gilchrist and her team (Emma Carroll and Louise O’ Regan) were recognised for their achievements at the awards too.
The team were awarded finalist for their project
‘Reducing your risk of falls: a patient information booklet.’
“We developed a very practical guide on the prevention of falls and, very importantly, what to do if you fall,
? said Jennifer.
“Service users were involved in the development of the resource and it approved Plain English accreditation from NALA.
?
This year’s winners were selected from 131 entries which had to demonstrate how they addressed the issue of health literacy. Health literacy is a person’s ability to understand and use basic health information, whether they receive it in writing, in person or over the phone.
Health literacy also involves a person having the knowledge to understand their options and make informed decisions about their own health.
Chair of the judging panel, Dr Laura Sahm, said judges were impressed by the novel approach all of the shortlisted projects took to incorporate health literacy into their daily work.
“Even the smallest changes can make the biggest difference and we hope that this good work will continue to develop amongst all those working and communicating in the healthcare sector,
? she said.