Websites to Help You Learn How to
Help Your Patients

back to Health Literacy

Administration on Aging

http://www.aoa.gov/prof/communicating/communicating.asp

Communicating with Older Adults both general “how to communicate” and specifics issues of health literacy within the older population.

Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality 
http://www.ahrq.gov/news/press/pr2007/pharmtoolpr.htm
New AHRQ Tools Help Pharmacies Better Serve Patients With Limited Health Literacy has new tools to help pharmacies provide better quality services to people with limited health literacy. Is Our Pharmacy Meeting Patients' Needs? A Pharmacy Health Literacy Assessment Tool User's Guide  and Strategies to Improve Communication between Pharmacy Staff and Patients: A Training Program for Pharmacy Staff.

Ask Me Three

http://www.askme3.org/when_to_ask.asp

Sections for organizations, health care providers, and patients to learn about ways to improve communication between health care providers and patients.  Recommends when to ask, why to ask, and most importantly what to ask.

California Health Literacy Initiative - Resource Center

http://cahealthliteracy.org/resource_center.html

Provides links to many tools, reports, presentations, plain language resources, and many other resources.

Harvard School of Public Health - Health Literacy Studies

http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/healthliteracy/index.html

Many links to useful materials in learning about health literacy, and learning to improve the health literacy level of clients and patrons, adult education practices, and more.

Institute for Healthcare Advancement –

Health Education Literacy Program

http://www.iha4health.org/index.cfm/MenuItemID/125.htm

IHA’s HELP, or Health Education Literacy Program addresses both issues of lack of basic reading, listening, and speaking skills in English, as well as that of navigating through the healthcare system, through the provision of a specific curriculum.  The site also provides extensive background on illiteracy and its impact on health, and links to many other resources.

Questions Are the Answer

http://www.ahrq.gov/questionsaretheanswer/

For consumers to think about, learn about, and create questions to take to their practitioners, pharmacists, and other health care persons to take more control over their health care.  Highlights planning for tests, surgery, visiting the doctor, and getting prescriptions filled.

Plain Language Initiative

http://www.plainlanguage.gov/index.cfm  

Tips for using and incorporating “plain” or “everyday” language to increase communication between health care providers and patients, reduces errors, increases compliance and improves patient safety.

World Education - Health and Literacy Special Collection

http://healthliteracy.worlded.org/teacher-1.htm

World Ed collects a wide variety of resources, including easy to read and multi-lingual health information.

back to Health Literacy