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Health Literacy Toolkit

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Annotated Bibliography

  • Annotated Bibliography - Developed by Mandy Meloy, SE/A Community Outreach Coordinator, Terri Ottosen, SE/A Consumer Health Outreach Coordinator and Beth Wescott, SE/A Network Access Coordinator. More detailed descriptions of many of the items included in this toolkit can be found in the annotated bibliography.

A PDF version is also available at http://nnlm.gov/sea/outreach/healthlitkit/bibliography.pdf PDF Icon

Booklets and Brochures

This booklet “reviews the problem of health literacy, its consequences for the health care system, and the likelihood that a clinician’s practice includes patients with limited literacy” .

This report on literacy and health outcomes was requested by the American Medical Association and funded by the AHRQ.

This series of nine fact sheets was created for those who are designing patient education materials for consumers with low health literacy skills.

Kathleen Crea compiled a list of websites of health literacy resources for health professionals and patients and families.

The FDA provides easy-to-read health brochures in English and Spanish. Brochures are available in both HTML and PDF formats and topics include keeping food safe, diabetes, losing weight safely, giving medication, etc.

This booklet is the culmination of a roundtable discussion addressing health literacy.

This booklet has suggestions for developing and improving print materials related to government programs.

These brochures help consumers translate "medspeak," the specialized language of health professionals. Written in English and Spanish, these brochures address HIV/AIDS, stroke, eye disease, heart disease, diabetes, and breast cancer.

This bibliography in the Current Bibliographies in Medicine (CBM) series covers information on health literacy primarily from online databases and the Internet.

This guide contains a basic overview of key health literacy concepts and techniques for improving health literacy through communication, navigation, knowledge-building, and advocacy.

Presentations

Webcasts are available on such topics as addressing low literacy and defining the goals and research behind the National Assessment of Adult Literacy.

  • Stableford, Sue. Write It Easy to Read: Vibrant Plain Language for Clear Health Communication. Biddleford, Maine: AHEC Health Literacy Center, 2004. Presentation. http://www.clearlanguagegroup.com

Stableford focuses on the need for “plain language” and defines “limited health literacy” and “easy-to-read.”

Presented at the Medical Library Association meeting in May of 2007, this powerpoint presentation aids the user to critique, rewrite and create materials that get health and wellness information across quickly and clearly.

Ms. Wescott also teaches a class called Easy-to-Read Health and Wellness Material for Consumers: recognizing it, finding it, writing it, rewriting it. To schedule a class, please contact Beth Wescott.

This online tutorial is designed for health and literacy educators interested in getting more involved in health literacy work.

Tutorials

Online Health Literacy Tutorials PDF Icon

Virtual Toolkits

Using a multimedia approach focused on health professionals, the American Medical Association (AMA) uses real-life scenarios and statistics to address the problems of health literacy.

This kit provides steps to writing a handout that is easy to read and understand.

This site offers a plethora of resources for health professionals and consumers and includes links and information to fact sheets, brochures, toolkits, and project ideas for health literacy.

This toolkit is from a conference held May 30, 2007 at New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY. The conference goal was to provide health professionals and hospital staff with an educational opportunity to develop awareness of health literacy issues and improve communication skills with individuals throughout the Hudson Valley Region of New York.

Answering questions such as what is health literacy and what resources are available, this Toolkit is a resource to help adult education instructors and administrators better understand the problem of health literacy as it affects their learners.

Web Resources

Online resources and pathfinders relating to health literacy, consumer decision aids, clinical information, and improving healthcare delivery.

This website helps consumers and providers learn how to communicate effectively with each other, address the problem of health literacy, and provide a solution to end health literacy.

Resources include a slide presentation, video, a chart about health literacy, literature, and how to create and access print materials.

Information includes health lessons, easy-to-read material, multilingual health information, and health literacy research.

Helen Osborne, the developer of this website, directs health care professionals and consumers to a variety of health literacy resources.

Funded by the National Library of Medicine, this website defines health literacy and lists health literacy organizations and websites.

Developed by the National Institutes of Health and National Library of Medicine, MedlinePlus helps consumers find up-to-date, quality information about health topics, herbs and drugs.

The Newest Vital Sign is a bilingual (English and Spanish) screening tool that identifies patients at risk for low health literacy.

This website from the National Institute on Aging and National Library of Medicine has easy-to-read health information and videos for senior citizens.

PLAIN, the Plain Language Action and Information Network, sponsors this site and its goal is to promote the use of “plain language” for all government communications.

Useful Examples

Developed by READ Saskatoon, this easy-to-read book divides pregnancy into 3 trimesters. Each section explains what to expect for the mother and her growing baby.

Topics include information about diabetes and how it relates to medication, physical activity, and nutrition.

The purpose of Hands on Health South Carolina is to give South Carolinians a place to go to learn about health and wellness in an easy-to-read format. Health problems addressed include diabetes, heart disease, cancer, asthma, stroke, and suicide.

Developed by South Carolina Diabetes Prevention and Control Program Diabetes Initiative of South Carolina Enterprise/MUSC Neighborhood Health Program, this guide has easy-to-read information about Sugar Diabetes.

Developed by Alzheimer’s Disease Education and Referral Center (ADEAR), this booklet offers easy-to-read information about Alzheimer’s Disease.

Health Literacy Assessment Tests

The REALM is a medical-word recognition and pronunciation test comprising 66 medical terms.

The TOFHLA measures the functional literacy level of patients, using real-to-life health care materials.

The WRAT-R is an individual achievement test that assesses skills in reading, spelling, and arithmetic.

Promotional Materials

Thank you to those dedicated to educating and advocating for health literacy and for providing and sharing your resources, reading lists, classes and websites.

This toolkit was developed by SE/A Coordinators, Mandy Meloy,Terri Ottosen and Beth Wescott.

 

 
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NN/LM SE/A Region

University of Maryland, Baltimore

Health Sciences and Human Services Library

601 W. Lombard Street

Baltimore, MD 21201-1512

Phone: 1-800-338-7657 or 410-706-2855
Logo and link to NLMDepartment of Health & Human Services
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Last updated on Friday, 10 October, 2008

Funded by the National Library of Medicine under contract N01-LM-6-3502 with the Health Sciences and Human Services Library of the University of Maryland Baltimore