Minnesota Health Literacy Partnership Blog
Making health information understandable and jargon-free
Posted by MHLPadmin on Sep 21, 2018
Nearly 90% of Americans have difficulty using everyday health information that is routinely available. That makes it harder for patients to understand their options and make responsible, well-informed health decisions.
Health Literacy Out Loud #64: Chronic Engagement: Habits That Support Good Health
Posted by MHLPadmin on Sep 07, 2011
(Reposted with permission)
Jan Berger, MD, MJ, is the Chief Medical Officer at Silverlink Communications. She leads Silverlink’s population health initiatives in areas such as adherence, clinical messaging, engagement and health behavior change. Dr. Berger also is active on numerous national committees on quality and is the Editor in Chief of the American Journal of Pharmacy Benefit. In all these roles, Dr. Berger is passionate that communications can significantly improve health outcomes.
Health Literacy Out Loud Podcast #61: The Importance of Empathy in Health Communication
Posted by MHLPadmin on Jun 29, 2011
Leslie Bank is Director of Customer Service at Montefiore Health Care System in Bronx, New York. She is also the co-author of, “I’m Sorry to Hear That…Real Life Responses to Patients’ 101 Most Common Complaints About Health Care.”
In this podcast, she talks with Helen Osborne about:
Health Literacy Out Loud #58: From the Tooth’s Point of View: Communicating Serious Health Messages with Wit and Whimsy
Posted by MHLPadmin on May 11, 2011
In this latest podcast from Helen Osborne interviews Jeanette Courtad DDS, a practicing dentist. Dr. Courtad has worked with patients of all ages—from outreach programs at primary schools to now being the dentist at the Colorado School of Mines Student Health Center.
Dr. Courtad is also an artist with a lifetime of experience painting, dancing, and sculpting. She combines her artistic talents with a passion for educating children about the need for better oral hygiene in her new book, Toothful Tales: How We Survived the Sweet Attack.
Health Literacy Out Loud #56: Helping Others Understand Health Messages
Posted by MHLPadmin on Apr 08, 2011
Lisa M. Schwartz, MD, M.S., and Steven Woloshin, MD, MS, are general internists at the White River Junction Veterans Administration Medical Center in Vermont. They also are professors of medicine, and community and family medicine, at Dartmouth Medical School in New Hampshire.
Health Literacy Out Loud Podcast #55: Health Literacy Milestones and Opportunities
Posted by MHLPadmin on Mar 30, 2011
Dr. Ruth Parker is Professor of Medicine and Public Health at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. She is nationally recognized for her efforts in health literacy research, education, and health policy.
Dr. Parker’s accomplishments are many, including helping to develop the TOFHLA (Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults) and co-writing the health literacy definition included in many publications and initiatives including the U.S. Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (otherwise known as “Health Care Reform”).
Health Literacy Out Loud Podcast #54: Dr. David Blumental Talks About Health Information Technology
Posted by MHLPadmin on Mar 03, 2011
Let's talk about Plain Language
Posted by MHLPadmin on Oct 15, 2010
One best practice for improving health literacy is to use plain language. Plainlanguage.gov describes plain language as "communication your audience can understand the first time they read or hear it". Written material is in plain language if your audience can:
Happy Health Literacy Month!
Posted by MHLPadmin on Oct 07, 2010
Health literacy is defined as “the degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, process and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions” (Healthy People 2010).
We know that health literacy involves more than just patients. I like to think of health literacy as being influenced by three areas:
1. The patient's ability to obtain, understand and act on health information.
Eliminating Health Disparities Initiative
Posted by MHLPadmin on Sep 30, 2010
The African & American Friendship Association for Cooperation and Development, Inc., in partnership with Women’s Initiative for Self Empowerment, Inc. and International Institute of Minnesota, Inc., has been awarded a grant of $200,000 for one year from the Office of Minority and Multicultural Health to implement a project under the Eliminating Health Disparities Initiative.