Resources for teaching staff health literacy

The following materials can be used for staff education:

• An Author’s Guide.

The guidelines for patient education written materials used at the University of Utah Health Sciences Center in Salt Lake City can be found on the institution’s web site (www.med.utah.edu/ pated/authors/). The guide has literacy facts, readability testing, a substitute word list, and information on clear writing.

• Health Literacy Introductory Kit.

The Chicago-based American Medical Association (AMA) created a health literacy kit that contains a video, Low Health Literacy: You Can’t Tell by Looking; a health literacy report; fact sheets on health literacy; and a discussion guide. The cost of the kit is $25 (AMA members, $15). For more information or to order, contact: American Medical Association, Clinical and Public Health Practice & Outcomes, 515 N. State St., 8th Floor, Chicago, IL 60610. Telephone: (312) 464-5563.

• Plain English Network.

The Plain English Network (www.plainlanguage. gov) is a government web site that provides information on how to write in plain language. There are plenty of before-and-after documents illustrating the use of plain language on the site.