The more you learn about health literacy, the more you will understand the needs of your audience and the research and tools you will incorporate into your health writing. It is important to mention that understand why we care about health literacy and quality in translations.
These points summarize important information about the Health Literacy:
- Nine out of 10 adults have a hard time to understanding and using health information when it is unfamiliar, complex or jargon-filled.
- Limited health literacy costs our healthcare system a lot of money and it results in high mortality and morbidity.
- Health literacy can be improved if we health care professionals practice plain language.
- Clear communication means using familiar concepts, words, numbers and images in ways that make sense to the patients.
- Testing information with patients before releasing it and asking for the patient’s opinion is the best way to check if we’re communicating at the patient’s level. We need to test and ask for feedback every time information is released to the patients.
Adapted from: Talking Points About Health Literacy. https://www.cdc.gov/healthliteracy/shareinteract/TellOthers.html
Way beyond the basics!
Now that you’re aware about why health literacy is important, and why communicating with patients in their own language is vital to improve health outcomes. You are ready to learn more!
Health.gov, a website of the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion offers a comprehensive guide to learn health literacy and how to create health resources and digital tools that can be easily accessed and understood by all users — including the millions of Americans who struggle to find, process, and use online health information.
You can access this resource here: https://health.gov/healthliteracyonline/
This website is created for educational purposes as part of COMHLTH 573 Communicating Health in a Digital Landscape at Washington State University. Any reference in this website to any people, organizations, activities, products, or services related to such people or organizations, or any linkages from this site to the site of another party, do not constitute or imply the endorsement, recommendation, or favoring from Washington State University.
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