Midwife's pioneering idea wins her award

Dunshaughlin midwife Una O'Brien was amongst the winners at the Crystal Clear MSD Health Literacy Awards for a pioneering text and Twitter project for teenage mums. Ms O'Brien, who is a staff midwife at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda, received the award at a ceremony in Dublin on Monday of last week for her 'Txt and Twitter ur teenage mums' progamme. She won first place in the category, 'Best Project in the Community or in a Social Setting', for her efforts to provide pregnant teens with as much information as possible and to encourage them to attend antenatal classes using text messages and Twitter. Ms O'Brien developed her programme after she noticed that many teenage mothers did not attend antenatal education and were unprepared for the birth of their child. She wanted to provide pregnant teens and their birth partners with as much information as possible and to encourage them to attend her classes. Nearly every teenager has a mobile phone so, with the help of one of the young mums, Ms O'Brien translated her message about antenatal classes into 'teenage texting language'. She also introduced educational tools, updated DVDs and purchased CDs with music more suited to teenagers as well as designing new posters and visual aids which were trendy and easy to read. "Una's project is innovative and exemplifies the ethos of health literacy," said Dr Gerardine Doyle, UCD Business Schools and chairperson of the Crystal Clear Awards judging panel. "The judges were impressed by her efforts to communicate with teenagers in a language that makes sense to them, even 'translating' her messages into 'teenage texting language'. The extent of her engagement with teen mothers and her groundbreaking use of new technologies have had a measurable impact, increasing attendance at her antenatal classes by 90 per cent in one year." The judges felt her project was inspirational and should be honoured for using clear health communication to make a real difference in people's lives. Una O'Brien said: "I am delighted to have won a Crystal Clear MSD Health Literacy Award. It is an honour to be recognised for my work which has improved communication with teenage mothers and fathers. I look forward to sharing my experience with other units which, I hope, will ultimately improve other services for teenagers nationwide." The seven winning initiatives were selected from over 120 entries which had to demonstrate how they addressed the issue of health literacy, which 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. Health literacy is increasingly recognised as an important issue in Ireland and across Europe. Research shows that many people in Ireland struggle to read and understand health-related information such as directions on medicine packs, medical advice, consent forms and health information leaflets. However, over the past three years, the Crystal Clear MSD Health Literacy Awards has received over 360 entries from receptionists in GP surgeries, nurses, hospital catering managers, pharmacists, doctors and patient advocates, all making efforts to make health communication clearer.