Category: We Heart Health Literacy

As you doubtless already know, dear readers, “dose” certainly isn’t the most confusing health-related word out there (don’t even get us started on “hypertension”). But it’s also not our favorite — it’s both a tad clinical and a touch vague. You don’t have to strike it from your vocabulary completely, but think of it like a pungent cologne: “dose” works best in small doses. Use it sparingly!

So what’s the alternative? To get around “dose,” try talking about the “amount” of medicine or “how much” people need to take. Observe:

• Make a list of all your medicines, including how much you take and when you take it.
• The amount of medicine you need depends on how much you weigh.

Sometimes, you can also replace “dose” with a specific quantity.

• Instead of: If the first dose doesn’t make you feel better, it’s okay to take a second dose.
• Write this: If 1 aspirin doesn’t make you feel better, it’s okay to take 2.

And once in a while, “dose” really is the best word for the job. For example: If you miss a dose, take it as soon as you remember.

So use your judgment — just don’t over-dose your health content! [Mic drop.]

The bottom line: Follow our prescription for clear communication and use “dose” only as needed.

Tweet about it: They say it’s the dose that makes the poison, so use “dose” sparingly in #HealthLit content, says @CommunicateHlth: https://bit.ly/2JzoX2j

As we’ve discussed before, people struggle with numbers. Today, we’re talking about how to explain common measurements — or, in other words, “How much stuff is that?”

It’s hard to visualize common measurements like an ounce, an inch, a cup — or a ton. An easy solution to this problem is to make comparisons to everyday objects.

For example:

• A serving of meat is 3 ounces (about the size of a deck of cards).
• The cleanup program removed 500 tons of dirt from the area around the chemical spill — that’s 50 dump truck loads!

Here are a few other comparisons that we’ve found helpful:

• 2/3 cup = a doorknob
• 1/4 inch = a pencil eraser
• 1 inch = the widest part of a quarter
• 3 inches = the long side of a credit card
• 6 inches = the long side of a dollar bill
• 1 ton = a Toyota Yaris hatchback

Your equivalents may not always be exact measurements, but that’s okay. The idea is to give people a general sense of “how much.”

The bottom line: When writing about amounts, sizes, or weights, help out your readers by making comparisons to everyday objects.

Today’s post will address one of our favorite topics: unnecessarily complex health terms!

Let’s start with a pop quiz. Pretend you’re writing a patient handout. What’s the best way to tell someone she’ll have to spend the night in the hospital?

• a. You’ll be hospitalized overnight
• b. You’ll be admitted to the hospital for the night
• c. You’ll need inpatient care at the hospital
• d. You’ll need overnight observation in the hospital
• e. It’s a trick question — the question is the answer

Exactly — with an “E.” Just skip the fancy words and say what you mean: “You’ll have to spend the night in the hospital.”

There’s no need to risk confusing people with overcomplicated language. “Hospitalization” has 6 syllables! We’ve said it before, dear readers, and we’ll certainly say it again: just keep it simple.

And in case you were wondering, the title of this post is a trick question, too.

The bottom line: Instead of using complex terms like “hospitalized” or “admitted,” use words that everyone knows.

Tweet about it: Hospitalized? Admitted? Inpatient care? How about “spending the night?” http://bit.ly/1ny0bRN #HealthLit via @CommunicateHealth

This week, we share our top design tips for health information. Enjoy!

1. Plan where your content will live. Will it live on a printed flyer, on a website, on a mobile app, on a houseboat in the Florida Keys? Each platform requires a different design approach. Wherever your content will live, plan for design accordingly — before you develop the content.

Source: usability.gov

1. Chunk content. Organize your content into easy-to-look-at chunks. This will make your material look appealing and keep your reader from getting overwhelmed. Keep your paragraphs and line lengths short.

Source: healthfinder.gov

1. Make room for white space. We never tire of preaching the benefits of white space. Keep in mind that white space is not always “white.” It’s just space on the page that gives your content (and reader) room to breathe.

Source: NYC.gov

1. Achieve balance. It turns out in both life and design, we need balance. The composition of a page, from its layout to its colors, needs to appear balanced.

Source: Burton.com

The bottom line: When developing health information materials, don’t forget that good content needs good design.

So what exactly is the difference between plain language and readability? And what about health literacy? How do they fit together? Or are they the same?

Never fear, dear readers! We’re here to take a quick look at what it really means to talk about readability, plain language, and health literacy. They’re all important — and they’re definitely related — but each term means something different.

Readability is how easy (or not) something is to read. Readability formulas measure this by looking at the length of the words and sentences in a document. They can tell you what grade level your document is written for, and they’re everywhere — Microsoft Word even has one built in. But we’re not fans of these formulas because they don’t take into account plain language principles or the user’s context.

Plain language is writing that people can understand. It ensures that people can easily grasp your message the first time they read it. We’ve written about many plain language principles before, like:

• Using familiar terms
• Chunking information
• Writing in a conversational tone

When you get plain language right, readability naturally comes with it. But something written in plain language won’t improve health literacy if people don’t know what to do with the information.

Health literacy is a person’s ability to access, understand, and use health information so they can make informed choices about their health. It’s a complex concept that depends on the quality and clarity of the communication as well as the skills and experience of the user. On the communication side, plain language is important — but writing for health literacy also means making the content relatable and actionable for your audience.

Whew. Now you have the facts you need to settle all those heated cocktail party disputes. (No really. We talk about this stuff at cocktail parties.)

The bottom line: Readability, plain language, and health literacy are all important — so it pays to understand what makes each unique.

Tweet about it: What’s the difference between readability, plain language, and #HealthLit? @CommunicateHlth explains: https://bit.ly/2uLSRsU

Let’s kick off this post with a fill-in-the-blank exercise:

• “I’m feeling sick. I think I’ll go see my ______.”
• “An apple a day keeps the ______ away.”
• “Just what the ______ ordered.”

For now, keep your answers to yourself. And no cheating! We’ll come back to them later.

This week we’re addressing a question we get a lot at We ❤ Health Literacy Headquarters. When writing about health care professionals for a general audience, is it best to say “doctor,” “provider,” or something else altogether?

Technically speaking, titles depend on degrees (obvs). But unless you’re staring at a framed diploma, knowing the best way to refer to a health care professional can be tough. Our advice is to keep it simple and go with what most people use in everyday conversation: “doctor.”

Yes, there’s technically a difference between a doctor, physician, clinician, nurse practitioner, psychologist, physician assistant, and so on. But when people are feeling sick, they just go to “see a doctor.” This is not the time to pull rank.

Of course, we do make exceptions sometimes. For example:

• It might make sense to use “doctor or nurse” when talking about primary care (although repeating that phrase can make your content clunky, so use it sparingly)
• If you’re writing about something super specific, like childbirth, it’s fine to say “doctor or midwife” — especially if you define for your audience what exactly a midwife does

Now, think about your answers to the fill-in-the-blank questions above. You answered “doctor” for all of them, right? In other words, using plain language just means that you write how you speak.

The bottom line: Don’t be afraid to refer to different kinds of health care professionals as “doctor.” Plain language is on your side.

Tweet about it: Don’t be afraid to refer to different kinds of health care professionals as “doctor,” says @CommunicateHlth. #PlainLanguage is on your side! https://bit.ly/2TESQpy #HealthLit

While we try not to get too bogged down in grammar, dear readers, sometimes it can’t be avoided. Erm… that is… sometimes we can’t avoid it.

Why? Because as health communicators, we always try to write in active voice. “It can’t be avoided” is in passive voice. Passive voice makes sentences less personal, less clear, and less direct. Yuck!

Here’s a quick and dirty explanation of active versus passive voice. Essentially, it’s all about the subject of the sentence. Using active voice means constructing a sentence so that the subject is doing the action. In passive voice, the subject receives the action instead — it doesn’t do the action itself.

For example:

• Active voice: He saw his doctor.
• Passive voice: He was seen by his doctor.

Another problem with passive voice is that it can leave out the subject altogether. That really makes content feel impersonal and indirect.

Which of these more effectively communicates that your reader needs a flu shot?

• Active voice: Doctors recommend that you get a flu shot.
• Passive voice: Getting a flu shot is recommended.

“Getting a flu shot is recommended” is super vague — who’s doing the recommending? You’re much better off specifying the subject (doctors, in this case).

How can you recognize passive voice so you’ll know to revise it in your materials? Here’s a helpful hint: look for some form of the verb “to be” in the phrasing of the action — it could be “is,” “are,” “was,” “were,” or “been.” You can also use zombies to help figure it out.

Your readers count on you for clear, actionable, personalized health information that they can really understand and use. Using active voice is good writing, period.

The bottom line: Using active voice can help personalize your message and keep your content clear and direct.

Tweet about it: For the sake of #HealthLit, make your voice active! http://bit.ly/PUClzI via @CommunicateHlth

People like pictures. So health communicators often rely on stock photos to grab a reader’s attention. Finding one is a cinch. Just enter a health topic in a stock photo agency’s search, and you’ll get pages and pages of results.
But there’s a problem: A lot of those results are just not that helpful.

Some are freaky.

(A few keywords you may have searched to get this result: Doctor, injection, nurse, patient, mummy.)

Some are inexplicable.

(A few keywords you may have searched to get this result: Kitchen, peanut butter, pollution, toxic, post nuclear winter.)

Some feature fruit bowls fashioned from human heads.

(A few keywords you may have searched to get this result: Banana, fruit, healthy, nutrition, fashion.)

Some illustrate hazards faced by women eating salad in zero gravity.

(A few keywords you may have searched to get this result: Food, organic, salad, vegetarian, cheerful.)

But more common — and actually worse — are pictures that mean absolutely nothing. You’ve seen ones like this a million times:

Oh, hooray! She’s so, so happy! But why? She’s gone gluten-free? She refinanced at a low rate? She makes $6,000 a month from home? This picture doesn’t tell a story.

Using photos as mere decoration is a missed opportunity. Instead, use images that help communicate your message. You know, photos of real people doing realistic things that are actually related to your content in an obvious way.

If you’re writing about bike safety, show someone wearing a helmet and riding safely on a bike path. If you’re writing about quitting smoking, show someone circling a quit date on a calendar. Choose images that really show what you’re writing about.

Otherwise, what’s the point? We doubt the thumbs-up lady knows.

The bottom line: Too many sites rely on staged, generic stock photos. Be choosy — only use images that directly support your message.