While many writers (ahem, doctors and scientists) still love passive voice, it puts most of us to sleep. It adds unnecessary words to sentences. And worst of all, it often hides the subject of the sentence so your readers cannot tell who is saying or doing what. Read More
Blog
Cut it out! Part 3
It is easy to say too much. Our words run away with us. This can get us into trouble. In some cases, though, those extra words don’t mean anything. They make sentences long and clunky. And they can distract people from our key messages. Read More
Cut it out! Part 2
Our writing is often full of unnecessary words. We say the same things over and over again, repeating ourselves, adding different words that mean the same thing. (See what we did there?) Read More
Cut it out! Part 1
Most writing is full of unnecessary words. We say “her personal physician” instead of “her physician” and “your medical doctor” instead of “your doctor.” We spice-up emails with “at the present time” instead of the simple “now.” Read More
New Year’s Resolutions for Health Communication
We know, we know. No one keeps their New Year’s resolutions. This year, try something different. Instead of trying to lose weight or eat less, resolve to help others! And where better to start than helping people understand and use health information? Read More
Help! I have number problems.
Health literacy is not just about reading and listening. It is also about numbers. The ability to make sense of numbers—especially risks and benefits—is essential to adequate health literacy. Read More
Health Literacy: It’s Good For Everyone
Imagine you have trouble reading or are not very comfortable with numbers. Imagine that big words intimidate you. Or imagine that you read just fine, but you do not follow what people are saying very easily. To you, most people talk too fast. Or maybe you have no problems with reading or understanding most things, but you […]
Take the #PlainPledge!
October is Health Literacy Month. It is a time for healthcare professionals and organizations to promote the importance of health information that is easy to understand and use. The UAMS Center for Health Literacy is urging healthcare professionals and health professions students join in the 5th annual #PlainPledge. Take the pledge to stop using jargon […]
Welcome to the UAMS Center for Health Literacy (UAMS CHL) Blog!
We are very happy you are interested in what we do at the UAMS CHL. Our new blog will feature tips and resources for anyone who communicates health information. Based on your past interaction with UAMS CHL, we’ve signed you up to receive updates (about one or two each month). Read More