The AMC Cancer Research Center, with collaboration and support of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Division of Cancer Prevention and Control, has developed Beyond the Brochure to assist health educators and health communicators in conceiving and producing educational materials and activities that do not rely solely on the printed word. [80 p.]

(Cancer.gov) This guide outlines a process for developing publications for people with limited-literacy skills. The process was derived from communications, health education, and literacy research and practice. In addition, writers who have produced low-literacy materials contributed their expertise.

(Breast Health Connection of Georgia) PDF of a slide presentation by Kara L. Jacobson and Felicia J. Morton of the Breast Health Connection of Georgia

(Calgary Health Region, Canada). Includes literacy facts, deciding on content, design and copyright issues. [34 p.]

(Captial Health, Nova Scotia, Canada) Developing Patient/Family Education Print Material was created to provide guidelines and a process to follow in the development of patient/family education print materials. [29 p.]

(Washington State Department of Health) Included are references to resources and research in the fields of health promotion and patient education. These resources will provide more detailed, practical information–for example, how to conduct a focus group or specific design considerations for people with low reading skills.

(University of California Davis, Center for Nursing Education) Purpose, development, design, readability, financing and evaluation.

(Center for Health Care Strategies) Series of fact sheets on various aspects of health literacy.

• Health Communication and Cultural Diversity
• Health Literacy and Understanding Medical Information
• Preparing Patient Education Materials
• Resources for Health Literacy Information and Publications
• Strategies to Assist Low-Literate Health Care Consumers
• Tools to Evaluate Patient Education Materials

(Harvard School of Public Health: Health Literacy Website) by Rima E. Rudd. National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy.

Instructions and examples on how to use the SMOG forumla.

From MedlinePlus.

Handout that outlines how to use the built-in readability function in Microsoft Word. Word uses the Flesch-Kincaid model/forumla to determine readability levels.

(Children’s Hospital & Regional Medical Center, Seattle, WA). 48 p.

From U-Write.com. Handy tips section that covers illustrations, readability, design layout, effectiveness and costs of in-house production.

Welcome to PlainTrain, the Plain Language Online Training Program. Here you will find helpful tips and techniques for improving your communication skills with the use of plain language. This program consists of 8 topic sections.

A screening instrument to assess an adult patient’s ability to read common words and lay terms for body parts and illness

"This free online software tool calculate various readability measurements like Coleman Liau index, Flesh Kincaid Grade Level, ARI (Automated Readability Index), SMOG. Document readability is the indication of number of years of education that a person needs to be able to understand the text easily on the first reading. Comprehension tests and skills training. Tool is made primary for English texts but might work also for some other languages. It displays also complicated sentences (with many words and syllables) as suggestion what you might do to improve its readability." From Online-Utility.org

Simply Put is CDC’s guide to putting information in readable, plain language. The Simply Put Guide contains tips for print materials, such as brochures and fact sheets, for use by any audience.

(Center for Medicare Education) 2000

Issue brief vol.1 no. 3

Technical Bulletin MS 499. Developed bu the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention Communications Team, National Clearinghouse for Alcohol & Drug Information

(Center for Medicare Education) 2000

Issue brief vol. 1 no.2

(Plainlanguage.gov)

Authored by Julie McKinney and Sabrina Kurtz-Rossi.

Developed by World Education in collaboration with the National Institute for Literacy with a generous grant from Metropolitan Life Foundation

North Carolina Department of Health & Human Services. How to on developing Spanish language materials.

EthnoMed contains information about cultural beliefs, medical issues and other related issues pertinent to the health care of recent immigrants to the US. Has links to patient education materials in a wide variety of languages

Project funded by the National Library of Medicine.

(NSW Department of Health). Search for resources by either topic or language. Also includes a multicultural phrasebook.

Joint initiative of the South Cove Community Health Center and Tufts University Hirsh Health Sciences Library. Materials available in Chinese, Cambodian, Hmong, Korean, Laotian, Thai and Vietnamese.

Electronic access to over 200 health education brochures in 24 different languages. This is a project of the Spencer S. Eccles Health Sciences Library, in partnership with the Utah Department of Health, the Immunization Action Coalition, AAPCHO, and many others to improve access to health materials in multiple languages.

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