The Power of “You”: Using the Plain and the Personal to Engage Patients
“Patient engagement” has become a buzzword in health care, and for good reason. For anyone whose job it is to get patients to act—to take their medicines, to come in for their A1c test, to change their diet, to make a decision—finding ways to engage those patients in their health is a must.
Informed consent – or is it really informed??
We have all done it. Gone for a medical or dental test or procedure. Not looking forward to it, a bit nervous about it. And then someone on the staff gives you some papers to sign authorizing the procedure. Often they simply say, “Sign here,” and seem puzzled when you take the time to read it.
Dealing with the “dumb down” dinosaur, or how to enlighten the ignorant without losing your job.
It continues to shock me that in the year 2014 I still hear people say, “Oh, you want to dumb down my writing” when the subject of plain language comes up.
My reaction is…
Health design challenge could help VA to make the grade on Plain Language
The US Government recently invited designers and developers to redesign the patient health record. The goal of the Health Design Challenge was to improve the presentation and usability of the record currently used by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and other groups. Over 230 entries were submitted. The winning entries used dynamic content, informative […]
Start-ups try their hand at simplification
A recent article in the New York Times profiled Josh Reich, a software engineer and founder of Simple, a new online banking start-up. The company has joined the growing ranks of start-ups disrupting business as usual in the banking and health care industries. “Banks make money by keeping customers confused,” Mr. Reich said. In response, […]
Promoting Plain Language at CDC – Checklist and messaging
Our colleague, Cynthia Baur, plain language lead at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention just posted some new tools you might find useful. They can help large, complex organizations like government agencies make plain language everyday practice. We all know how easy it is for broadcast emails, memos and other notices to get lost […]
FDA celebrates Plain Writing Act
Is your peanut butter safe? Is it safe to order drugs online? The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates products that we use everyday – food, human and animal drugs, dietary supplements, medical devices, vaccines, tobacco – the list sometimes seems endless. The FDA shares information about these products every day, so it’s essential […]
How Much is Plain Language Worth?
Joe Kimble, professor of law at Thomas M. Cooley Law School, has just finished his long awaited new book, Writing for Dollars, Writing to Please: The Case for Plain Language in Business, Government, and Law. Carolina Academic Press, which also published his earlier book Lifting the Fog of Legalese, is the publisher. The book sets out the elements of […]
“Summary of Benefits and Coverage” brings clarity to health plan
At last, consumers will have a “Summary of Benefits and Coverage” as a standardized, plain language tool to understand their health plans. Under a rule announced last week by HHS, health insurers are now required to provide consumers with clear, consistent, and comparable summary information. Here’s the link: http://cciio.cms.gov/resources/files/Files2/02102012/blank-sbc-template-finalpdf.pdf Testing by Consumers’ Union showed that […]
Why blame the patient?
by Joanne Locke On March 1, the Washington Post published an article by Sandra Boodman’s on the need for clear health communication: “When Understanding is Critical” She describes the some serious problems that can result when patients don’t understand how to comply with their doctor’s instructions. But she seems to be blaming the victim. Rather […]