Strategies to improve health literacy: plain English and teach back - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
Strategies to improve health literacy: plain English and teach back Claire ORiordan, NALA 4 March 2016 What I am going to cover Definitions of teach back and plain English Support for each strategy Tips for using both strategies
your communication skills, patient safety, and… health literacy.
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Base: All Respondents: 1,000
Q.7 In what way/s do you think GPs, hospital doctors, pharmacists or nurses could make things clearer for patients when they are explaining something to them?
*Answers 1% not shown
As with the survey in 2007, using less medical terminology helps patients’ understanding. While 17% of respondents don’t know how HCPs could make things clearer for patients. Interestingly, this response is more common among men than women. [Research commissioned by MSD in
association with NALA.]
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you are in the hospital?”
− writing accurately and clearly for the intended reader, − avoiding jargon, except for people who will understand it − using clear layout and design so the information is easy
to read.
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This checklist offers a quick way for you to review a letter, leaflet, booklet or short report to see whether it uses plain English and is easy to follow. Not all questions will apply to every document, by try to answer ‘yes’ as much as possible to the questions that do apply. Language, punctuation and grammar
Yes No
1 Does the document use ‘you’ and ‘we’, where possible? 2 Does it use the active voice most of the time? 3 Does it keep technical terms and abbreviations to a minimum? 4 Does it define any necessary terms and abbreviations clearly? 5 Does it keep ‘corporate jargon’ to a minimum? 6 Does it avoid Latin and French phrases and Latin abbreviations? 7 Does it use the same term for the same concept throughout? 8 Does it have an average of 15 to 20 words in each sentence? 9 Does it use the simplest verb tense possible? 10 Does it avoid abstract nouns where possible? 11 Does it use correct punctuation? 12 Do nouns and verbs agree (singular noun with singular verb, for example)? Structure 13 Does it organise information according to the reader’s needs and interests? 14 Does it use informative headings or questions to break up text? 15 Does it include a natural flow from one point to the next? 16 Are paragraphs relatively short? 17 Does it use bullet point lists for detailed or complicated information? Page design
18 Does it avoid underlining, groups of italics and unnecessary capital letters? 19 Is text in a readable typeface (font), aligned to the left and 1.5 spaced? 20 Are images, charts or blocks of colour, if any, clear and relevant to the text?
Ireland
Enforcement
Quality Authority
Authority
Card Form
Abroad
2010
communications policy, 2012
Clear Writing campaign
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For example:
Instead of Use catheter tube immunise protect negative (test results) you do not have, you are not
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The dog is barking. The dogs are barking. The consequence of over-eating and lack of exercise after a long period of time are that general health suffers. Longer sentences make it harder to see
Before: If you send us a letter, fax or email we endeavour to acknowledge receipt of all such correspondence within 5 days of receiving same and ensure that a substantive reply to a query will issue within 20 days where information is readily available.
After: If you send us a letter, fax or e-mail, we try to:
it, and
have enough information.
faster to read
italics
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This checklist offers a quick way for you to review a letter, leaflet, booklet or short report to see whether it uses plain English and is easy to follow. Not all questions will apply to every document, by try to answer ‘yes’ as much as possible to the questions that do apply. Language, punctuation and grammar
Yes No
1 Does the document use ‘you’ and ‘we’, where possible? 2 Does it use the active voice most of the time? 3 Does it keep technical terms and abbreviations to a minimum? 4 Does it define any necessary terms and abbreviations clearly? 5 Does it keep ‘corporate jargon’ to a minimum? 6 Does it avoid Latin and French phrases and Latin abbreviations? 7 Does it use the same term for the same concept throughout? 8 Does it have an average of 15 to 20 words in each sentence? 9 Does it use the simplest verb tense possible? 10 Does it avoid abstract nouns where possible? 11 Does it use correct punctuation? 12 Do nouns and verbs agree (singular noun with singular verb, for example)? Structure 13 Does it organise information according to the reader’s needs and interests? 14 Does it use informative headings or questions to break up text? 15 Does it include a natural flow from one point to the next? 16 Are paragraphs relatively short? 17 Does it use bullet point lists for detailed or complicated information? Page design
18 Does it avoid underlining, groups of italics and unnecessary capital letters? 19 Is text in a readable typeface (font), aligned to the left and 1.5 spaced? 20 Are images, charts or blocks of colour, if any, clear and relevant to the text?
your communication skills, patient safety, and… health literacy.
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