Category: We Heart Health Literacy

Some health issues are really hard to talk about — and even harder to live with. As health writers, it’s part of our job to recognize when health topics require an especially empathetic and compassionate tone (think incontinence, sexually transmitted diseases, depression, or memory problems).

Here are some of our tried-and-true tips for writing about sensitive health topics.

Start by putting yourself in the other person’s shoes. What would it be like to live with a health issue you don’t fully understand? What if you were too nervous to talk about it with friends, family, and doctors? What type of information would ease your concerns? What information could increase your knowledge about how to cope with or improve the condition?

Frame it as a common concern. People who are sick or uncomfortable are often scared, too. Try saying something like, “Many people who’ve been abused by a partner have…” or “Some people with herpes find they…” Making an experience seem more common can help it seem less scary.

Acknowledge emotions. Negative emotions like fear and shame can get in the way of clear thinking and making healthy choices. You can make things a little easier for your readers by acknowledging their feelings. You could say: “It may be hard to talk with your doctor about your concerns, but it’s important.”

Be encouraging. You certainly want to keep things positive when writing about a sensitive health topic. Think about including a larger message of hope like, “It’s normal to feel overwhelmed at first, but lots of people have learned to live with a colostomy bag — and you can, too.”

The bottom line: Help people face sensitive health issues by letting them know they’re not alone.

Dear readers, it’s time to return to our unofficial “use simpler words” series. Today’s word is a card-carrying member of the just-plain-vague club: “impaired.”

Most of the time, you can replace “impaired” with a specific description of what is actually impaired — and what that means for your reader. This will make your writing easier to understand, and you know how much we ❤ that.

Consider these examples:

• Drinking alcohol impairs a driver’s ability to react to things quickly, which can increase the risk of car accidents.
• This medicine may cause impaired kidney function.

Instead, try:

• Drinking alcohol causes you to react to things more slowly, which can make it more likely that you’ll be in a car accident.
• When you’re taking this medicine, your kidneys may not work as well.

But what about specific phrases that include “impaired” — like “people who are visually or hearing impaired”? In these cases, use the language that your audience uses. That might be “people who are blind or visually impaired” or “people who are deaf or hard of hearing.”

And, as always, if you absolutely must use the word “impaired,” be sure to explain or define it.

The bottom line: Don’t let “impaired” get in the way of clear writing.

You know we can’t help celebrating when we find a new health communication resource we ❤. So this week, we’re giving a very enthusiastic We ❤ Health Literacy plug to CDC’s latest plain language resource: Everyday Words for Public Health Communication.

Aimed at people developing health content for consumers, this resource includes everyday, plain language alternatives for common public health terms — everything from “abstinence” to “virus.” For plain language nerds like us, it’s almost as good as it gets.

But this resource even takes it a step further! It uses the plain language alternatives in sentences so you can really get a feel for how to use them. And the example sentences come from real-life health content on CDC.gov.

That, dear readers, is some pretty authentic stuff.

The bottom line: Use CDC’s Everyday Words for Public Health Communication to find plain language alternatives for commonly used public health terms.

Today, dear readers, we’re talking about a system of the body that comes up pretty regularly in health communication (especially during cold and flu season!). Yep, you guessed it: the immune system — basically a private army that fights infections to keep us healthy. And really, who doesn’t ❤ that?

The thing is, it’s not always easy to explain the immune system to readers. That’s why we always pause to ask ourselves: Do we need to use the term or can we simply explain what happens instead?

Some readers do need to know the term “immune system” — like people living with HIV or getting treatment for cancer. Since their immune systems are so relevant to their care, you’ll want to teach these readers exactly what the term means. Consider saying something like:

The medicine you get during chemotherapy can weaken your immune system (the system that helps your body fight infections). When your immune system is weak, you’re more likely to get sick — and it can take longer for you to get better.

For readers who don’t need to know the ins and outs of the immune system, you may not need to use the term. Instead, you could say something like:

During chemotherapy, your loved one is more likely to get sick — and it can take longer for them to get better.

The bottom line: Teach the term “immune system” to readers who will be hearing it often and skip it with those who won’t.

We don’t have to tell you, dear readers, that disease prevention is the backbone of public health. But when it comes to plain language, words like “preventable” and “preventive” sound like — yup, you guessed it — jargon (gasp!).

As much as we ❤ them as concepts, the truth is these terms tend to complicate simple ideas. If what we’re really saying is that people can take steps to avoid getting sick, let’s say that. Like many words,“preventable” and “preventive” can often be swapped out for plain language alternatives.

Consider these sentences:

Vaccines are important in addressing preventable diseases, like measles.

Preventive care is important for your health.

Instead, opt for:

Vaccines (shots) protect people from serious diseases, like measles.

Health care isn’t just for when you’re sick. Ask your doctor about screenings and other services that can keep you healthy.

Sometimes, you just can’t prevent using “preventive.” Say you’re a health insurer explaining that you cover a specific category of care called “preventive services.” Instead of getting rid of this term, teach it to people: “We now cover all preventive services, which include check ups, screenings, and counseling to prevent health problems.”

And whatever you do, dear reader, please steer clear of “preventative.” It’s “preventive” dressed up with an extra syllable (and you can guess how we feel about extra syllables).

The bottom line: In plain language writing, you can usually skip “preventable” and “preventive.”

Here at We ❤ Health Literacy Headquarters, we always check with medical experts to make sure the health communication materials we develop are accurate. These experts are essential to the process — they have the knowledge and experience to know the ins and outs of a health topic.

But when you’re immersed in anything for a long time, it’s easy to forget that the rest of the world, well, isn’t. And that’s where the curse of knowledge comes in. The more you know about a particular health topic, the harder it is to think about it from someone else’s perspective — especially if that someone knows less about the topic than you. (The Heath brothers explain this in depth in their book Made to Stick.)

It happens all the time. Remember when you got all the way to the end of a hilarious story about a _______, only to have your listener say, “What’s a _______?” with a confused look. Don’t worry, dear readers — we’ve been there, too.

As health communicators, it’s our job to be on the lookout for the curse of knowledge. You might see it pop up on a project when you’re on the ninth round of edits from the medical expert. Or when you realize that your material is full of multisyllabic jargon (not that you would ever allow that to happen).

Whenever you feel the curse of knowledge creeping in, ask yourself and your experts to take a step back and remember your audience. Ask, “What’s it like to learn about this topic for the first time?” Or, even better, quickly test the content with members of your priority audience.

The bottom line: Watch out for the curse of knowledge. Test with your audience to make sure your materials are understandable.

As the field of health communication expands, it’s important for all of us health literacy advocates to get together as often as we can. Learn new things and feel the health literacy love, dear readers, by attending a conference (or 3)!

Here are just a few of our favorite health communication events coming up this year:

Institute for Healthcare Advancement (IHA) Health Literacy Conference
May 4­–6 • Anaheim, CA

Health Communication Leadership Institute
May 31–June 3 • Austin, TX

Tufts University Health Literacy Leadership Institute
June 13–17 • Boston, MA

National Conference on Health Communication, Marketing, and Media
August 23–25 • Atlanta, GA

8th Annual Health Literacy Research Conference
October 17–18 • Bethesda, MD

Mark your calendars — and perhaps we’ll see you there!

The bottom line: There are lots of great events in 2016 where you can connect with other health literacy advocates.

It’s time for another installment of our unofficial “use simpler words” series. You remember, don’t you? (Let us jog your memories: procedure, inflammation, and monitor.)

This week’s word, “respond,” doesn’t need to be replaced or simplified so much as it needs to be clarified. Why? Well, it’s just plain vague. Does a hazmat team respond to a toxic chemical spill by singing an opera about it? Of course not — they respond by donning their hazmat suits and working to keep the public safe.

Consider these examples:

• It will be 6 weeks before we can tell if the cancer is responding to the treatment.
• When the hurricane hits, we will respond quickly.

C’mon… we can be clearer than that, dear readers! Try these on for size instead:

• It will be 6 weeks before we can tell if the treatment is shrinking the tumor.
• When the hurricane hits, we will act quickly to keep people safe and help anyone who’s hurt.

Sure, you may use a few more words, but you’ll be more specific and focused on action. And who doesn’t ❤ that?

The bottom line: Instead of using the word “respond,” say what’s actually happening.

This workshop is designed for motivated individuals and teams working to communicate health information in ways people can understand. Join us for “Plain Language for Health: A Writing and Design Workshop” on March 17–18, 2016 in Boston, MA. Visit the website to learn more and apply. Applications will be accepted on a first come, first served basis.

Learn new skills, gain valuable tools, and make lasting connections. The workshop will be led by Stacy Robison and Xanthi Scrimgeour, co-founders of CommunicateHealth, along with Sabrina Kurtz-Rossi, Director, Tufts Health Literacy Leadership Institute, and Alia Bucciarelli, Health Writer and Guest Speaker. Funded in part by the National Library of Medicine under contract with the University of Massachusetts Medical School.