Health literacy is broadly defined as a person’s ability to seek, understand and use health information.

The Ophelia project is a three year Victorian initiative which will identify and test new interventions to address health literacy needs in people attending a broad range of Victorian agencies. It is funded by the Australian Research Council ,in partnership with the Victorian Department of Health and Monash University. The project is committed to improving health outcomes and reducing health inequalities for Victorians.

The Ophelia process provides organisations with a structured approach to recognise, understand and respond to the health literacy needs of members of their community through the following 8 principles.:

Outcomes focused - Improved health and reduced health inequalities

Equity driven - All activities at all stages prioritise disadvantaged groups and those experiencing inequity in access and outcome

Co-creation approach - In all activities at all stages, relevant stakeholders engage in co-creation of solutions.

Needs-diagnostic approach- Participatory assessment of local needs using local data

Driven by local wisdom- Intervention development and implementation is grounded in local experience and expertise.

Responsiveness - Recognise that HL needs and the appropriate responses vary across individuals, contexts, countries, cultures and time

Systemically applied - A multi-level approach in which resources, interventions, research and policy are organised to optimise health literacy

The Ophelia Victoria project first measures the different needs of clients using the Health Literacy Questionnaire (HLQ), which captures client’s experience, views and capabilities across nine dimensions. This is followed by the collaborative development and testing of new interventions to tackle health literacy issues at both the practitioner and service level.

Phase 2: Measure Health Literacy Baseline survey data on the health literacy profile of priority groups are collected using the Health Literacy Questionnaire. Each project site gathers their most experienced front-line practitioners and managers to take part in structured workshops where the health literacy needs of their clients are thoroughly discussed. The front-line staff generate local solutions in responses (interventions) to identified health literacy needs that can be implemented in their organisation at the patient, practitioner, service planner and policy levels.

Phase 3:Pilot interventions Evidence and ideas collected during Phase 2 inform the development of pilot interventions at each project site. These aim to tackle a range of specific health literacy issues faced by client groups. Interventions, and how they are implemented, are informed and refined through the application of ‘Plan, Do, Study, Act’ cycles.

Phase 4:Test interventions The refined interventions will be applied within and across the eight sites. The interventions will be applicable for a wide range of clients eligible to receive diverse services (from health promotion, to community health, to hospital services). A key outcome will be a set of common and specific interventions that are relevant to many clients and organisations across Victoria.

Additional activities

Ophelia website A dedicated website will support partners and project sites. The site will promote information sharing and provide more in-depth information about the development of the Victorian Health Literacy Framework.

Ophelia International

The Ophelia approach is currently being applied in several countries including Thailand, South Africa, England and Denmark, with ongoing discussions in several other countries.

Chief investigators

Prof Richard Osborne

Prof Rachelle Buchbinder

Dr Alison Beauchamp

Ms Jeannine Jacobson

Mr Roy Batterham

Prof Gerald Elsworth

Dr Sarity Dodson

Ms Melanie Hawkins

Ms Crystal McPhee

Information and Resources

Launch of Ophelia by the Victorian Minister for Health, Hon David Davies Link