Health Literacy

Information from Institute for Healthcare Advancement's Communication Microbadge

Plain language speech presents information so most listeners can understand it the first time they hear it. It is one important tool for improving health literacy. Plain language speech is easy to understand and use.

Plain language speech is clear and effective. That means it uses familiar concepts, words, and numbers in ways that make sense to the people who need the information.

Information from Institute for Healthcare Advancement's Communication Microbadge

1. Keep it short.
   1. Most people have trouble recalling more than 2 or 3 key concepts.
   2. Provide just key information.
   3. Use short sentences. 
   4. When working with qualified medical interpreters, say only 1 or 2 short sentences at a time.
   5. Don't be afraid to repeat yourself. Repetition and rephrasing help with recall.
2. Present information in a logical way
   1. It's easier for most people to process information when it's presented logically.
   2. Use advance organizers. Tell the recipient what you will tell them to organize their listening.
   3. Chunk (or group) information on the same topic.
   4. Break actions down into steps.
3. Use a Friendly Tone and Speak Slowly
   1. Slow down to a moderate pace and speak clearly.
   2. Slowing down makes it easier for patients to follow and process new information.
4. Avoid Using unfamiliar abbreviations and acronyms
   1. If your intended audience knows and uses an abbreviation, you can say it without explanation.
   2. Do patients call the hospital emergency room the "ED" (emergency department)? Or do they still use the older term "ER" (emergency room)? When you say "ED," do you mean emergency department or erectile dysfunction?
   3. Acronyms can be hard to understand.
   4. Always make sure you explain new acronyms in plain language.
5. Use Familiar Objects for Comparison
   1. You can use comparisons to familiar objects to help convey quantitative information. 
6. Use Analogies to explain complicated concepts
   1. To aid patient understanding and recall, the American Medical Association Foundation suggests using analogies— everyday examples to explain technical or medical terms.
   2.  Concrete analogies may help patients remember new concepts.
7. Use familiar words
   1. Avoid using medical jargon. 
   2. Use common words that you'd use when explaining to your own family or friends.
8. Use Teach-Back to Confirm Understanding
   1. To make sure you've communicated clearly and that the patient understands your health message, use teach-back.
   2. Teach-back has 3 steps:
      1. Explain the health information.
      2. Check for understanding.
      3. Re-explain the health information if needed.

Information from Institute for Healthcare Advancement's Communication Microbadge

1. Present information in a logical way
   1. Present the most important information first—right at the top of the first paragraph
   2. Write useful headings and sub-headings that break up text and make content more digestible, and give readers information or ask key questions.
   3. Organize the text in a logical order. 
2. Keep it Short
   1. When writing instructions, understand that readers will be more likely to follow them if you break them into individual, numbered steps.
   2. Try to limit yourself to a few main points. Focus on information that will help your readers take the desired actions.
   3. Use short sentences—no more than 15 words per sentence on average. However, vary sentence length to hold the reader’s interest. Make sure you aren’t so brief that sentences sound choppy. And use enough words to clearly convey the idea.
   4. Use short paragraphs—no more than 5 sentences per paragraph.
   5. Use short sections, which ensures your material is in easy to read, “bite-sized” chunks.
3. Keep it simple
   1. Avoid medical jargon and technical terms. If you need to use a specific term, make sure to define it when it’s first introduced.
   2. Use everyday words that are familiar to your reader.
4. Use active voice in most cases
   1. Use active voice instead of passive voice. Active voice is livelier and more direct. Use passive voice rarely. 
   2. The best way to decide if passive voice should be used is if active voice makes the sentence more difficult to read or awkward.
5. Make your writing personal
   1. Use pronouns such as “we” “our” “you” and “yours.”
   2. This helps your audience feel you are writing to them as individuals
6. Stay positive—make your writing friendly and positive.