Category: We Heart Health Literacy

Here’s something we can probably all agree on: sometimes, making health-related decisions is really hard. We’ve written in the past about shared decision-making and tools to support it. But this week, dear readers, we wanted to take a deeper dive into decision aids.

As health communicators, we know we need to talk about the pros and cons of each possible choice — that’s a must-have for informed consent! But when someone is facing a particularly difficult choice — like how to approach end-of-life care — we can take it a step further.

That’s where decision aids come in. A decision aid is a tool that goes beyond a general list of pros and cons to help people think through how the risks and benefits of each option stack up for them personally. And while decision aids can’t replace a conversation with a doctor, they can make those conversations more efficient and productive.

Use these tips to make your decision aid shine:

• Keep it brief. If your decision aid looks long or dense, people will be much less likely to use it — so save that nice-to-know info for later.
• Make it personal. To engage patients, include interactive elements like yes/no or multiple-choice questions, write-in fields, and sections for notes. Consider using a digital format that allows for a bite-snack-meal approach so users can further personalize their experience.
• Use numbers wisely. Check out these numeracy best practices to make sure you’re clearly and accurately communicating about risk or the chance of a certain health outcome.
• Talk about values. Health outcomes aren’t the only variable at play when people make medical decisions. Make sure your decision aid helps people consider how each option aligns with their values and beliefs, their family situation, their finances, and anything else that may be important to them. (Keep in mind that sometimes decisions can come down to things like whether people can take a day off work or how okay they are with some pain or discomfort.)
• Include clear next steps. For example, that could mean talking to a doctor about their decision and any questions they still have.
• Test, test, test! There’s only one way to know for sure that your decision aid is hitting the mark — go out and test it with your intended audiences!

For a more detailed rundown of decision aid best practices, see this evidence-based checklist from the International Patient Decision Aid Standards Collaboration.

The bottom line: When people are facing tough choices about their health, decision aids can help them think through their options and make the choice that’s right for them. 

Tweet about it: Making health-related decisions isn’t always a walk in the park, but health communicators can help. @CommunicateHlth weighs the pros (and pros!) of creating #HealthLit decision aids: https://bit.ly/2SrWVgZ #HealthComm

As health communicators, we’re always looking for creative ways to share health messages — whether that’s through pictograms, videos, or good old-fashioned words. We also like to keep an eye on how language is changing over time — and emojis are a big part of that!

Quick refresher for the analog among us: emojis are small images you can drop into written text, like so: ?❤️? ?. Researchers have found that people use emojis as a written equivalent to gesture — so while emojis can’t replace text in health materials, they can complement it and make it feel more conversational. That’s why we ❤️ emojis here at We ❤️ Health Literacy Headquarters.

You won’t be surprised, dear readers, to hear us say that emojis aren’t appropriate for every audience, situation, or message. To figure out how emojis might fit into your health materials, consider the following:

• Who’s your audience? Some older or less tech-savvy audiences may be less familiar with emojis.
• What’s your topic? Emojis contribute to a fun, lighthearted tone — so if that’s not what you’re going for, probably best to skip ‘em.
• Is it a digital material? For the most part, people don’t expect to see emojis in print.
• What’s your accessibility plan? Most screen-readers will read the name of each emoji (for example, reading ? as “grinning face”). But some browsers or devices won’t load them properly — so make sure your content still makes sense without them.
• Is your message clear? Some emojis have developed… let’s call them alternate meanings. If you’re not fluent in internet, google or check an emoji site first to make sure your emojis don’t have any unwanted connotations.

And of course, we can’t talk about emojis in 2021 without noting that some health-related emojis have emerged as real MVPs during the COVID-19 pandemic — like a face wearing a mask ?. And Apple and Google are releasing a new, blood-free design for their syringe emoji ?. Since people are already using the syringe to represent COVID-19 vaccination, this change will help make vaccination seem a bit less scary — and we ❤️ that.

The bottom line: Try using emojis to add a fun, conversational feel to your digital health materials. 

Tweet about it: Want to add a ✨ fun, conversational feel ✨ to your digital #HealthLit materials? Consider inviting emojis to the party ?, says @CommunicateHlth: https://bit.ly/2QPiwPA

This week, in the spirit of spring cleaning, we’re taking a break from our normal content to tell you about a few important housekeeping items.

The most important thing is that we’ve moved! You may know that while our weekly emails come to you via MailChimp, our blog content has been permanently hosted on Medium. But not anymore. Now, dear readers, your very favorite We ❤ Health Literacy content will live at — wait for it — We ❤ Health Literacy Headquarters!

That’s right, from now on we’ll be hosting our own content on its very own cozy blog corner of our very own website. Please note that we’ll be ironing out any kinks over the next few months — like making sure everything is tagged correctly and so forth. But fear not! You don’t have to do anything to keep getting our weekly emails. Just know that if you want to reference a post on the web going forward, it’s bye-bye Medium and hello CommunicateHealth website.

Speaking of which, you may have noticed that we recently launched a newly designed CommunicateHealth website! We’re very excited about our new lewk (we do plain language and hip language), and we’ve added lots of new content to our portfolio.

If you have questions about any of this, feel free to respond to this email and we’ll get back to you. And we’ll see you next week with our regularly scheduled installment of We ❤ Health Literacy!

Here at We ❤ Health Literacy Headquarters, we’re always looking for ways to build stronger connections with our audiences. And using the right voice and tone is one way to forge that connection! So this week, we’re sharing tips to help you identify a clear voice and tone in your health writing.

First, a little refresher on what voice and tone mean. Voice is constant. It’s a key part of your identity — an expression of personality that comes out through your writing. In the corporate world, it’s often called “brand voice,” but it’s not just for the Apples and Fords. Whether you work for a Fortune 500 company, a government agency, or a community nonprofit, you need a consistent voice.

But what is voice, exactly? Think about how you can recognize your favorite singer even if you’ve never heard the song before — that’s because their voice is distinctive across different songs (or in our case, health materials!).

Tone, on the other hand, is situational. It varies based on the specific topic, the context, and your audience’s likely emotional state. So while voice stays the same across a website or campaign, tone may change slightly from page to page or tweet to tweet.

Think of it this way: No matter who you’re talking to, you’re still yourself — that’s your voice. But you wouldn’t talk to your best friend the same way you’d talk to your boss, or your sworn enemy, or the teller at your bank — you vary your tone based on who you’re talking to and what the conversation is about.

So, how do you figure out the right voice and tone to use? We often define voice and tone as a series of adjectives — like “friendly, compassionate, and sincere.” And to really bring out the nuance, it can be helpful to think about what your voice or tone is and what it isn’t. For example, you might describe your health communication campaign’s voice as:

• Optimistic, but not naive
• Friendly, but not overly familiar
• Informational, but not dry

When it comes to tone, you’ll need to get more specific. What’s the health topic at hand? What is the audience likely thinking or feeling while reading about it? For example, a playful, quirky tone might be perfect for sharing general healthy eating tips, but it wouldn’t be a good fit in nutrition tips for people starting chemotherapy. In that case, the tone might be:

• Motivating, but not overly upbeat
• Comforting, but not patronizing
• Serious, but not dire

The bottom line: To build a stronger connection with your audiences, think through the voice and tone of your health comm materials before you write.

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Tweet about it: Want to make your #HealthComm materials sound just right? Being intentional about voice and tone can help, and @CommunicateHlth’s got tips! https://bit.ly/3d1ksNJ #HealthLiteracy 

Here at We ❤ Health Literacy Headquarters, we’re big fans of both preventive health care and preventing the spread of COVID-19. So these days, dear readers, we really ❤ telehealth. According to CDC, 4 in 10 U.S. adults have avoided health care due to COVID-19 concerns. That’s, well, concerning! People need routine health care, pandemic or no — and telehealth lets them get it with zero anxiety about also getting COVID at their visit.

As health communicators, we can teach our audiences about telehealth and encourage them to give it a try. Start with a simple definition for the newbies out there: Telehealth — sometimes called telemedicine or a virtual visit — is basically remote health care. If you’re using a computer, phone, or tablet for a doctor visit, that’s telehealth.

And while telehealth certainly can’t take the place of all in-person visits, it’s a great option for things like:

• Yearly checkups with your primary care doctor
• Dermatology visits
• Mental health counseling
• Nutrition counseling
• Follow-up visits to share test results

Once you’ve covered the basics, highlight some key telehealth benefits:

• It’s safer. Right now, telehealth’s main selling point is that it allows folks to stay connected to care without the risk of getting COVID at a doctor’s office or hospital. Just think of it like social distancing, but with your doctor.
• It’s faster. When you cut out the commute, the waiting room, the second waiting room (er, exam room), the visit gets a whole lot shorter — and a whole lot easier to fit into a busy schedule. And who’s ever said, “I wish I spent more time sitting in waiting rooms”? That’s right. No one!
• It increases access. Telehealth is particularly helpful for people who need to see a specialist but don’t live near one — and it removes the transportation barrier in general. Many telehealth providers also offer appointments outside traditional doctor’s office hours, making it easier for people to find times that work for them.

So encourage your audiences to ask if their doctors offer telehealth — and to check with their insurance carriers to make sure it’s covered.

And finally, while COVID safety won’t be as much of an issue in the future (we sure hope!), 2 of the 3 benefits above will hold true long after the pandemic is over. So while it’s an excellent tool for keeping people connected to care during COVID, we think telehealth is here to stay.

The bottom line: Encourage your audiences to explore telehealth — during COVID-19 and beyond.

Tweet about it: #Telehealth is a safe, effective way to get routine health care — during the pandemic and beyond. @CommunicateHlth has tips for explaining the benefits of telehealth to your audiences: https://bit.ly/3sAuk6F #communicateCOVID

Here at We ❤ Health Literacy Headquarters, periods are our second favorite punctuation mark. (You’ll always be first in our heart, em dash!) But that’s not what we’re talking about today. We’re here to chat about the other kind of period — the menstrual kind.

As you know, dear readers, we always aim to use clear and accurate language to talk about bodies — even some of those, ahem, less elegant functions — and periods are no exception. Check out these tips:

• Stick to plain language words like “period.” “Menstruation” is a bit much, so just call it a period when you can. In more in-depth materials, where “menstruation” and “menstrual” may be need-to-know terms, be sure to include a definition. We ❤ this one from Planned Parenthood: “Menstruation — aka having your period — is when blood and tissue from your uterus comes out of your vagina. It usually happens every month.”
• Skip the euphemisms. When you’re texting your BFF, feel free to talk about “a visit from Aunt Flo” or “that time of the month.” But these terms may not be clear to everyone, so we generally leave them out of our health materials. Speaking of which…
• Know your audience. In particular, attitudes around periods vary a lot in different cultures. When in doubt, test with your intended audience to make sure your content resonates.
• Leave “feminine” out of it. Equating periods with womanhood is not a good look. There are plenty of women who don’t have periods — because they are transgender, take certain medicines, or have a health condition like PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome) or low body weight. And there are plenty of transgender men and non-binary people who do have them. Plus, gendered terms like “feminine products” are way less clear than alternatives like… wait for it… “pads and tampons.”

The bottom line: When writing about menstruation, choose clear, plain language terms that everyone can understand. Period.

Tweet about it: Let’s talk periods. (No, not the grammatical kind!) Check out @CommunicateHlth’s tips on writing inclusive #PlainLanguage content about menstruation: https://bit.ly/3vgg8RS #HealthLit

As you undoubtedly know by now, dear readers, we usually serve up tips for creating health education materials. But putting health literacy best practices into, well, practice isn’t only about writing. And we know that for many of you, face-to-face convos are a big part of your work.

Teaching someone health information in person — or by phone or Zoom — gives you a key advantage over written materials: You can find out in real time if your audience understands the information you’re communicating — and then explain it in a new way if they don’t.

How, you ask? The teach-back method! It’s a technique that health care providers and health educators can use to check for understanding. And with the growing number of telehealth visits — where health literacy problems could be harder to spot — it may be extra important to have a solid strategy for making sure you’re effectively explaining health information.

At its core, teach-back involves 4 steps:

1. Explain the information. You know the drill: Use plain language, choose culturally familiar terms and examples, and focus on the relevant action steps. If you’re explaining an action — say, how to find allergens on a food label — demonstrate it if you can.
2. Check understanding. This step is key because we know that people tend to say they understand health information even when they really don’t. So instead of asking, “Do you understand?,” ask people to explain what you told them in their own words. Emphasize that you’re not testing them but rather checking how well you explained the information. Try something like this: “I know that was a lot of information, and I want to make sure I explained everything correctly. Can you tell me in your own words what you need to do after this visit?”
3. Re-explain if needed. If your first explanation didn’t quite get the job done, explain again in a new way. Try writing down the information you’re giving, circling key information on a handout they can take home, or navigating to a webpage together.
4. Re-check understanding. Ask people again to explain in their own words. Focus on whatever they struggled with the first time. You can get creative here, too — if you’ve showed someone how to do something, like use an inhaler, ask them to demonstrate how they’d do it.

The bottom line: For in-person, phone, and video health convos, teach-back is an easy and effective way to make sure people understand health information.

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Tweet about it: This week, the @CommunicateHlth team is revisiting thoughts on a tried-and-true #HealthEducation strategy: the teach-back method. Check it out: https://bit.ly/3OQvus5 #HealthLiteracy #HealthComm

Here at We ❤ Health Literacy Headquarters, we’re no strangers to the terms “target audience” and “target population” — they’re health comm bread and butter! But when you think about it, they aren’t such a great way to refer to… well, anyone.

“Target” sounds a tad aggressive, like militaristic terms we try to avoid. And it may make people feel they’re being, ahem, targeted — rather than prioritized, which is what we actually mean! This connotation can get especially dicey when you’re writing about historically underrepresented communities.

Of course, your end user may not ever set eyes on the doc where you call them your “target audience” — or anything else. But stranger things have happened! And as our grade-school teachers liked to say, if you wouldn’t use a word when talking to someone, it’s best not to use it when talking about them.

So how do we talk about the people we’re trying to reach in our internal communications, conference poster presentations, and the like? We’ve got a few ideas — and they’re super simple swaps!

Try this:

• Our primary audience for the campaign is Black adults ages 25 to 44.
• We’re prioritizing people with heart disease in our outreach efforts.
• The social media content was very effective at reaching the intended audience.

Not that:

• Our target audience for the campaign is Black adults ages 25 to 44.
• We’re targeting people with heart disease in our outreach efforts.
• The social media content was very effective at reaching the target audience.

The bottom line: Ditch “target” audience — try “intended,” “priority,” or “primary” instead.

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Tweet about it: This week, @CommunicateHlth revisits why the term “target audience” is worth… revisiting. Take a look: https://bit.ly/3WfZwri #HealthComm #HealthLiteracy