Health Literacy and Communication for Health Professionals

Literacy: Its role in health care organizations
Welcome to the first of eight modules about health literacy and communication. This module has three video segments which will help you understand how multifaceted health literacy is, who it impacts, and why leadership plays a key role. You will hear from students and faculty members about their perceptions of health literacy and why it matters for all of us. This first module also includes an overview of what is covered by the (USA) Institute of Medicine’s Ten Attributes discussion paper and the (USA) National Action Plan to Improve Health Literacy.

Initiation: Preparing the health care workforce
Welcome to the second of eight modules about health literacy and communication. This module has three video segments which will help you understand how being part of a healthcare team includes patient and family members, government, community health advocates, advertisers, and social marketers, too. We will examine some barriers within the healthcare system and how social, economic, environmental, and political factors impact health literacy, too. This second module discusses how a health literate workforce impacts patient care and community health outcomes. Evidence-based practices have been included in toolkits available for healthcare organizations to improve their workforce’s performance. You will hear from both patients and standardized patients on this matter.

They: Who we are serving?
Welcome to the third of eight modules about health literacy and communication. This module has three video segments which will help you understand how important it is to understand as much as we can about the intended audience of our health messages in both spoken and written formats. You will hear from patients, standardized patients, and faculty members about their perceptions of why tailoring the message to the audience is so important. This third module also includes an overview of what is covered by the enhanced (USA) National Standards on Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS) and other resources that are provided for you to use to improve your own health literacy and that of your healthcare organization!

Equipped: Using the Best Tools for Communication
Welcome to the fourth of eight modules about health literacy and communication. This module has three video segments which will help you understand what clear health communication involves in both spoken and written formats. You will hear from patients, standardized patients, and faculty members about their perceptions of why the patient/community needs to be active in their health care by asking questions to reach understanding and how health care providers must do their part as well through the use of plain language and manageable amounts of information. This fourth module also includes an overview of what is covered by “Ask me 3” which provides patients with tips for learning about their health and the “Teach Back” method for providers to check for understanding all along their encounters with community.

Results: Evaluating our efforts
Welcome to the fifth of eight modules about health literacy and communication. This module has two video segments which will help you understand how important it is to understand as much as we can about the intended audience so that the communication tools we select help us deliver our message in ways that our community can understand…without a “one size fits all” approach! You will hear from patients, standardized patients, and faculty members about their perceptions of why tailoring the message to the audience is so important. This fifth module also includes an overview of what is covered by Simply Put, and the Universal Precautions Toolkit to Improve Health Literacy, the Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool (PEMAT), the Clear Communication Index, and readability formulas for you to use to improve your own health literacy and that of your healthcare organization!

Access: Providing plain health information
Welcome to the sixth of eight modules about health literacy and communication. This module has four video segments which will help you understand how important it is to use simple, plain language in both spoken and written formats with the public rather than medical jargon for which they are not trained nor familiar. You will hear from patients, standardized patients, and faculty members about their perceptions of why tailoring the message to the audience is so important especially for those with limited English proficiency. This sixth module also includes an overview of what is covered by the tools that help make documents easy-to-read, understand, and use as well as other resources that are provided for you to use to improve your own health literacy and that of your healthcare organization!

Transferring information: Using the best channels
Welcome to the seventh of eight modules about health literacy and communication. This module has four video segments which will help you understand how important it is to select the best methods to communicate health information with our intended audiences. Sometimes we use face-to-face interactions, but sometimes we use broadcast mass media to channel our health communication messages to larger numbers of people at the same time. This seventh module also includes an overview of things to consider when electronic health records are used in order to help you improve your own health literacy and that of your healthcare organization!

Essential skills: Communicating high risk and care transitions
Welcome to the final eighth module about health literacy and communication. This module has four video segments which will help you understand how important it is to select the best methods to communicate about the proper use of medications, number values, and health risks with our intended audiences. Disaster alerts and emergency preparedness messages need to have clear action steps for all. Sometimes we use face-to-face interactions for medication reconciliation, sometimes we must rely on other means for that to happen. This eighth module also includes an overview of tools such as infographics when numbers are used in order to help you improve your own health literacy and that of your healthcare organization!