Remember the literal in Literacy!
It’s important to remember that writing in Plain Language means you eliminate any assumptions that you want the reader to make.
The importance of the introduction
The initial introduction of any document can be so very important. The reader’s first perception on the task is influenced by the way that the topic is introduced and presented.
Implementing Plain Language: Overcoming Attachments
Push-back on terminology can inhibit Plain Language and Health Literacy efforts. This post describes 4 language attachments that affect Plain Language.
5 Recent Studies that highlight the importance of Health Literacy
Here are 5 recent Studies on Healthcare Outcomes that reveal the Importance of Health Literacy and Culturally Competent Care in the Healthcare setting.
Plain Language and Health Literacy Services
We have been involved in Plain Language and Health Literacy for healthcare communications since 2008. This was a natural evolution of our services to include this since one of our main areas of expertise has been in Healthcare and Pharmaceutical foreign language translations.
Working in English content allows us to be involved in the whole content lifecycle and development of materials. It gives us the insight to be part of shaping the content to achieve specific objectives and for our translators to fully understand the strategies that are used in the source English writing. This also allowed us to serve another client need as the demand for these services has grown. Our Health Literacy Division has expert writers in the field with over 25 years of experience. Let us share that expertise with you.
Plain Language Writing
in English for the 4th – 6th grade levels, meeting Medicaid / Medicare reading requirements and consumer communications for the healthcare exchanges.
Health Literacy Writing
for below 6th grade levels, implementing adult learning theories, cultural strategies and a variety of motivational techniques to keep the reader engaged and move them to action.
Readability / Usability Testing
Readability: When we do Plain Language Writing of your materials, we always return them with Readability Statistics. Currently, Medicaid and Medicare do not prescribe which readability test to use so we will work with you on which works best for your needs.
Usability Testing: Just because a document is written in Plain Language does not mean that it is really understood. We always recommend usability testing with members of the target audience. You can test for terms, concepts, images, actions to take, etc.
Health Literacy Design
of books, pamphlets, brochures and web sites. There are over 200 rules in effective Health Literacy design to follow. This includes line lengths, font choices, colors and images. The choice of images in a book is an art in itself. You want images that truly represent your target audience and are not generic images taken from a subscription based site that you may see in many other publications. You want your readers to see themselves. Our books below are all award winners.
Health Literacy Awareness Trainings / Workshops
Presentations to help create organizational awareness, practical tips on writing and strategies to implement for a Health Literacy initiative. These trainings can be customized to meet your particular needs. Want to learn the Teach Back method? Need your writers to become advocates for plain language? Interested in forming a committee so that you can follow the Plain Language Act? Give us a call and let’s discuss what will work best for your needs.
This training was phenomenal – one of the most helpful sessions I’ve attended in a LONG time! Great session!! Loved it!
Multilanguage Healthcare Translation
of all Plain Language and Health Literacy materials. Our teams of healthcare translators also specialize in Plain Language writing in their language.
Being involved in the English and the foreign language translation gives us the opportunity to be involved in the whole life cycle of the content for your readers. We understand the strategies that have been used in the English content and are then ready to apply them in the translated content as well. This affects the quality of the writing and hopefully the patient behavior that you want to see changed.
Accessible Document Services
Our Braille conversion process is transcription according to the BANA (Braille Authority of North America) standards. The text is extracted and reformatted, following best practices for braille readers. When text is correctly structured and formatted, it can be the most flexible to present content.
Since many people who are blind or visually impaired have become accustomed to listening to recorded texts, this alternate format is certainly one that should be considered.
There are 2 options with this process. Both options divide the files into logical tracks with a Table of Contents which allows the listener to easily jump to the desired section. Both options allows you to have your files on CD, flash drive or uploaded via our secure portal.
- Text-to-speech (TTS) or
- Human Reader
508 Compliant PDFs
Section 508 compliant documents are assembled to be accessible for all users. Starting with a Word file, PDF, or other source document, we can create a fully compliant PDF that conforms to the WCAG and PDF/UA standards.