It’s Thanksgiving time around here, and in that spirit, I want to share with you some health communication resources that I am thankful for this year. Some of these might be new to you. Some of these, perhaps you’ve heard of, but might not be using. And for the ones you are already using, I […]
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Being mindful of your metaphors in medicine
The genetic program. The tree of life. A battle against cancer. These health-related metaphors have become so ubiquitous that they can slip past our notice. Metaphor has been recognized as one of the most important rhetorical devices of all time, ever since Aristotle treated it in his Art of rhetoric. Metaphors are as sophisticated as […]
3 Common patient communication roadblocks (and how to get past them)
I’ll get right down to business: You care about patient communication because you know what a difference it makes to the care you provide. The many health care professionals I’ve talked to over the years, like you, care about patient communication. And over time, I have heard some common problems, challenges, and requests when it […]
25 Health literacy tips & tactics
We’re wrapping up Health Literacy Month here at Health Communication Partners. Every care provider knows that great communication is part of great care. That includes communication before, during, and after the patient encounter. To support such great communication, I like to explore the different ways we can think about, research, and ‘do’ health literacy – […]
4 handy reminders about health literacy
In the last several years, health literacy has become the patient safety and quality issue that everyone is supposed to be paying attention to. The WHO is working on it, along with multiple federal agencies and professional organizations. Health communication researchers have been on it for decades now (way before it was cool). It has […]
Why health literacy matters to your patient education
What does health literacy have to do with patient education? I’ve been asked this question many times over the years, directly and indirectly. The question itself makes sense. As providers, you want patients to have health information in a way that they can use. You want to share what you know, in a way that […]