Health Literacy and The Role of Plain Language

Health Literacy and The Role of Plain Language

Romina Marazzato Sparano, MAT, CT

Language Compass

Health literacy involves an array of skills from individuals and organizations to enable healthcare decisions for
self, others, and the environment, in both distressing and everyday situations. For individuals to find, understand, and apply health-related information, institutional realities, provider attitudes and skills, and the clarity and empathy
of shared information must converge to achieve better
outcomes. Plain language has a vital role to play in aligning
audiences, providers, and situations to produce better health outcomes. In this session, we will explore
how plain language helps us infuse both
clarity and empathy in written communication. We will discuss how the principles outlined in the upcoming ISO standard 24495 on Plain Language can be implemented through the RAISE guidelines, developed by the presenter: Relevance, Accessibility, Intelligibility, Suitability, and Efficacy.

• Define health literacy, identify factors that impact it and
  possible interventions to improve it
• Define plain language, describe its role in health literacy, and identify and apply strategies to improve clarity and empathy in health communication