Communications Workshops

The following interactive sessions are customized for each organization and include presentation material, large and small group activities, and time for discussion. They can be provided individually or packaged as desired.

• Literacy and Health Literacy 101 (1 hour)
  Participants will learn about the prevalence of adults with low literacy, the challenges and assets of adults with low literacy, the role of shame, and red flags for identifying adults with literacy challenges. They learn the definition of health literacy, the prevalence of low health literacy in America and the connection between low health literacy and specific health outcomes. This session also introduces participants to the various categories for health literacy intervention, including plain language written and oral communication.
   
• Oral Communication (1 hour)
  Oral Communication provides opportunities for participants to engage in hands-on activities and games that build plain language communication skills. Activities include Simplify©, a card game that asks participants to reduce the use of medical jargon, and role playing of the Teach-Back Method, a technique for immediately evaluating patient understanding.
   
• Written Communication (1 hour)
  Written Communication is an introduction to the concept of plain language written communication, including practice and hands-on activities. This module can be tailored to groups of health care professionals whose primary role is not related to communications or patient education, but who may need to occasionally develop materials or assess the suitability of materials they provide to patients. A checklist for assessing suitability is provided to all participants.
   
• Numeracy and Health (1 hour)
  Participants learn about the prevalence of adults with numeracy challenges and how these can impact health care and health literacy. The session presents best and promising practices for reducing the numeracy burden placed on patients, family members and caregivers and providing support to ensure patient engagement and enhance informed decision-making.
   
• Public Health and Health Literacy (2 hour)
  Participants will learn about the definition of public health literacy and the impact of low public health literacy on the cost and burden of population health data. The session provides an overview of health literacy universal precautions strategies to integrate into communication and initiatives to enhance community understanding and actionability of public health information.
   
• Health Insurance Literacy (1 to 3 hours)
  Participants will learn the important role that health literacy plays in navigating insurance plans, from enrollment issues to challenges using insurance such as accurately calculating out of pocket costs. We will discuss the impact of low health insurance literacy has on access, cost, and quality of care. The session provides evidenced based strategies and support to enhance health insurance literacy.
   
• Health and Digital Literacy
  As we increasingly move toward greater adoption and use of electronic health records and patient portals, understanding the complex interplay between health and digital literacy skills is of key importance. This session focuses on challenges patients face in using technology to enhance their health and provides strategies and solutions to better support patients, family members, and caregivers in meeting the health literacy demands presented by online information.