For health writers, creating impactful consumer health content requires a deep understanding of health literacy tips and techniques. Health literacy is the ability of individuals to access, understand and use health information to make informed decisions. Without these essential skills, millions of people face challenges in managing their health effectively.
Here are some of my most important health literacy tips to help you write health content that empowers your readers and improves health outcomes.
What is health literacy?
Health literacy refers to the skills a person needs to find, comprehend and use health information. It encompasses understanding medical terms, making decisions based on the information provided and taking necessary action for better health.
Unfortunately, low health literacy is widespread, with many people struggling to interpret health information or communicate effectively with healthcare providers.
Low health literacy impacts a person’s ability to participate in shared decision-making, make informed treatment choices and act on risk information.
As a health communicator, your role is to bridge the gap between complex medical language and your audience’s level of health literacy by using clear and accessible communication strategies.
Key skills needed
Improving a person’s health literacy involves mastering several essential skills, including:
- Reading and writing clear, easy-to-understand content
- Listening and speaking to facilitate communication between patients and healthcare providers
- Numeracy skills to explain numbers, statistics and treatment options
- Critical thinking to make informed health decisions.
Even highly educated individuals may face challenges when confronted with unfamiliar medical terminology or during stressful health situations. Remember: We all just want to read content that is easy to read and understand!
So, ensuring that your patient education materials are accessible is crucial to enhancing health literacy.
Essential health literacy tips when writing consumer health content
To improve the health literacy skills of your audience, apply these tips to your health content.
- Use clear and simple language
One of the most important health literacy tips is to use plain English writing. Avoid medical jargon or define terms when necessary. For example, instead of “hypertension,” use “high blood pressure,” and explain what it means. Explaining medical terms in plain English ensures your audience understands the information without confusion.
- Focus on actionable content
Write content that helps patients take specific actions to improve their health. Focus on actionable tips, such as how to manage a condition or follow treatment instructions. For example, you could write “take your medication with a full glass of water” rather than “ensure appropriate hydration when consuming pharmaceuticals.”
- Structure your content for readability
Organise your material logically, starting with the most important information. Use subheadings, bullet points and plenty of white space to make your content easy to follow. This also improves comprehension for individuals with low health literacy.
- Tailor content to your audience
Consider your audience’s age, cultural background, education level and familiarity with the health topic. Using inclusive health communication strategies and positive language is essential for tailoring your content to your audience’s health literacy levels. This approach helps you better understand your audience’s needs and abilities. For example, content for older adults may need to be simpler and include larger fonts.
- Break down complex information
If complex medical information is unavoidable, break it down into smaller, manageable chunks. Use short sentences and brief paragraphs to make the content less overwhelming. For example, explain medical procedures step by step, ensuring each point is clear before moving on to the next.
Health literacy checklist
When editing your patient education materials, use this health literacy checklist to ensure your content is accessible:
- Clear language: Use words that are familiar to your audience. Avoid terms that are longer than four syllables, as these can be hard to read.
- Action-oriented information: Provide specific steps or actions for your readers to follow instead of merely presenting information.
- Logical structure: Start with the main point and organise supporting details in a clear order.
- Tailored tone: Match your tone to your audience’s needs – whether empathetic, instructional or encouraging.
- Visual aids: Incorporate images or diagrams that support the text and clarify complex points.
Improving health literacy for better health outcomes
Health literacy is essential for helping people make informed healthcare decisions. As a health writer, your role is to make sure your health content is clear, actionable and easy to understand.
By following these health literacy tips and best practices, you can create content that empowers patients and improves their ability to manage their health effectively.
