ALERT
Project Manager
PhD fellow
ABOUT THE PROJECT
Health Literacy is people's ability to find, understand, assess and use health information in order to be able to make knowledge-based decisions related to their own health. It is important that the health services make arrangements for patients to acquire this skill and adapt the services to the individual's competence. Studies have shown that immigrants who do not speak the same language as the majority population have worse treatment results than the rest of the population. However, we know little about the barriers that patients with an immigrant background and rheumatic diseases experience in meeting with healthcare personnel and how their needs for healthcare services can be met.
The purpose of this project is twofold:
1) To gain knowledge about what wishes and needs immigrants with inflammatory rheumatic diseases have for information, support and follow-up from health personnel in order to cope with the disease as best as possible.
2) To develop initiatives that contribute to the health services arrangements for immigrants with inflammatory rheumatic diseases and limited Norwegian language skills to insure sufficient health literacy and to be able to live as best as possible with the disease.
WHO CAN JOIN?
Adult patients (over the age of 18) with inflammatory rheumatic disease who have a mother tongue other than Norwegian and who may use an interpreter in their consultation with healthcare personnel.
Healthcare personnel, including GPs, who meet patients with inflammatory rheumatic disease in their practice.
WHAT DOES THE STUDY INCLUDE?
In the study, we will conduct qualitative interviews with approx. 20 patients at Diakonhjemmet hospital and Drammen hospital. We will then carry out separate idea-generating workshops with patients and health personnel to develop concrete measures that can strengthen health literacy and contribute to the health services meeting patients' needs for information, support and follow-up in a better way.
The study is completed in a three-year doctoral project and will start in the autumn of 2023.