The new health literacy tool has been designed to let Canberrans know whether they should seek help at a hospital, their GP, a Walk-in Centre or other community-based services. Photo: Claire Fenwicke.
Low awareness of Canberra’s community-based health services, but a desire to know more, has led to the development of a bespoke navigation system for people to find the most suitable care.
Canberra Health Services (CHS) has developed the health literacy tool in response to an identified gap in locals’ knowledge about where exactly they could access different types of healthcare.
“Approximately 44 per cent of adults in the ACT do not have the level of health literacy needed to use and understand day-to-day health information,” an ACT Government spokesperson said.
“Our research showed varying knowledge of local health services and what care they can provide. Conversely, Walk-in Centres are very well-known, but [there’s] some confusion about when to use them.”
Planning work on the system began in 2023, bringing together details of nearly 40 public or primary care-related services along with more than 30 health-related non-government organisations.
There’s also the ability to add more services as needed or as delivery options change.
The tool cost $40,000 to develop and test, with CHS launching a campaign to let the community know about its existence earlier this year.
The total campaign budget is $412,025 (excluding GST).
The spokesperson said it was expected the tool would have flow-on benefits in terms of pressures on the healthcare system.
“Low health literacy is directly related to higher use of services (more emergency department presentations, increased admissions and longer hospital stays), medication errors, missed appointments and a generally higher level of illness,” they said.
“Evidence shows that knowledge of health systems and services, known as health literacy, can greatly impact a person’s experiences and health outcomes.
“The tool is designed to educate people about what’s available for their individual circumstances so that they can access the right health services at the right time.”
More than 13,000 people have already visited the campaign landing page, and the tool has been used more than 800 times.
While it’s too early to measure the benefits, the spokesperson said both the tool and campaign had been found to raise awareness of services and helped support a more holistic health service offering in the ACT.
“People can use the tool if they need health care but don’t know where to go,” they said.
“This includes looking for immediate care from a Walk-in Centre, a general practitioner, or if they need to access a community-based service such as allied health services.”
The health literacy tool is available through Canberra Health Services. In a life-threatening emergency, call Triple Zero (000) or go to your nearest emergency department.
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