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Many resources are available to help patient education managers produce clear, readable patient handouts. To write documents in plain language Doug Seubert, guideline editor in Quality Improvement and Care Management at Marshfield (WI) Clinic frequently uses the following resources:

Resources for producing clear language documents

December 1, 2008

Resources for producing clear language documents

Many resources are available to help patient education managers produce clear, readable patient handouts. To write documents in plain language Doug Seubert, guideline editor in Quality Improvement and Care Management at Marshfield (WI) Clinic frequently uses the following resources:

Plain Language

http://www.plainlanguage.gov/

The Health Literacy Style Manual

http://coveringkidsandfamilies.org/ resources/docs/stylemanual.pdf

Simply Put (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

http://www.cdc.gov/od/oc/simpput.pdf

Principles for Clear Health Communication (Pfizer)

http://www.ihconline.org/toolkits/HealthLiteracy/PPForClearHealthCommunication.pdf

Writing and Designing Print Materials for Beneficiaries: A Guide for State Medicaid Agencies. Baltimore, MD: Health Care Financing Administration, Center for Medicaid and State Operations. HCFA Publication Number 10145. October 1999.

Readability Toolkit (Group Health Center for Health Studies)

http://www.uams.edu/irb/PRISMReadabilityToolkit_ThirdEdv3_042908.pdf

ALTERNATIVE WORD LISTS

Simple Words and Phrases (PlainLanguage.gov)

http://www.plainlanguage.gov/howto/wordsuggestions/simplewords.cfm

Words to Watch (Partnership for Clear Health Communication)

http://www.npsf.org/askme3/pdfs/words_to_watch.pdf.