Articles
For 10 years Helen Osborne was a columnist for On Call magazine, published by a division of Boston Globe Media. Her monthly “In Other Words…” column focused on many aspects of health communication, patient education, and health literacy. Sadly, the magazine stopped being published in 2009. Happily, many of the articles are still timely and relevant. Below are about 100 of Helen’s columns. They are listed in chronological order. To find what you need, enter key terms in the search box on the upper right.
- Making the Match: Choosing Patient Education Materials January 1, 2002Article from the Boston Globe’s On Call Magazine, January, 2002 By Helen Osborne, MEd, OTR/L President of Health Literacy Consulting You have a wide range to choose from when you need patient educational materials. You can create handouts or select a brochure or videotape from a commercial vendor. You can get materials from healthcare associations, government agencies, or pharmaceutical ...read more >>
- For Their Health: Communicating With Patients Who Have a Chronic Illness December 1, 2001Article from the Boston Globe’s On Call Magazine, December 2001 By Helen Osborne, M.Ed., OTR/L President of Health Literacy Consulting Chronic illness affects about 100 million Americans, and the number will grow to 134 million Americans by the year 2020. For their own well-being, patients who have a chronic illness often need to assume responsibility for their care and ...read more >>
- Can They Understand? Testing Patient Education Materials With Intended Readers November 1, 2001Article from the Boston Globe’s On Call Magazine, November 2001 By Helen Osborne, M.Ed., OTR/L President of Health Literacy Consulting As health professionals, we have increasingly become aware of the need to present patient education materials in ways patients and families can understand. We may think we are ensuring this when we make the effort to assess the readability ...read more >>
- Tools to Help Patients Navigate Their Way Around Hospitals October 1, 2001Article from the Boston Globe’s On Call Magazine, October 2001 By Helen Osborne, M.Ed., OTR/L President of Health Literacy Consulting Have you ever considered what it feels like to be a new patient at your hospital? Not just how it feels to be sick or scared, but what it is like to have to navigate your way around a ...read more >>
- Finding the Information You Need at a Medical Library September 1, 2001Article from the Boston Globe’s On Call Magazine, September 2001 By Helen Osborne, M.Ed., OTR/L President of Health Literacy Consulting Whenever you begin a new project, one of the first places you should go is a medical library. Regardless of whether you want to learn about a new clinical intervention, find out about the latest trend in quality assurance, ...read more >>
- Mind What You Say: Speaking With and Listening to Older Adults June 1, 2001Article from the Boston Globe’s On Call Magazine, June 2001 By Helen Osborne, M.Ed., OTR/L President of Health Literacy Consulting Verbal communication takes many forms. In healthcare settings, it could be a standardized interview or a formal patient teaching session. It could also involve giving appointment instructions or directions to other facilities. But whatever form it takes, it’s imperative ...read more >>
- Using Feng Shui to Improve Healthcare Communication May 1, 2001Article from the Boston Globe’s On Call Magazine, May 2001 By Helen Osborne, M.Ed., OTR/L President of Health Literacy Consulting With a history that dates back to ancient China, Feng Shui is an ancient art that can enhance communication. First used to help farmers decide where to plant their rice fields and build their houses, its principles today are used to ...read more >>
- Make a Difference: Be a Literacy Volunteer April 1, 2001Article from the Boston Globe’s On Call Magazine, April 2001 By Helen Osborne, M. Ed., OTR/L President of Health Literacy Consulting Writing clearly and simply is one way to improve health communication. Teaching children and adults how to read is another. As an educated health professional, I can only guess what it feels like to be unable to read. But ...read more >>
- Start Where They Are: Communicating With Children and Their Families About Health and Illness March 1, 2001On Call Magazine March 2001 By Helen Osborne, M.Ed., OTR/L President, Health Literacy Consulting Health providers who work with children and teenagers need to be well versed in anatomy, physiology, and child growth and development. But they also need to be fully informed about who’s who on “Sesame Street,” what’s new in the world of rock music, and what’s ...read more >>
- When You Need to Know: Literacy Resources for Health Professionals February 1, 2001Article from the Boston Globe’s On Call Magazine, October 2005 By Helen Osborne President of Health Literacy Consulting In an ideal clinical situation, health providers and patients always understand one another. But in reality, this is not necessarily the case. Patients may lack skills they need to understand unfamiliar medical words and complex health care concepts. Part of a ...read more >>
- Communicating Across a Life Span: Universal Design in Print and Web-based Communication January 1, 2001Article from the Boston Globe’s On Call Magazine, January 2001 By Helen Osborne, M.Ed., OTR/L President of Health Literacy Consulting The 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act prohibits discrimination against disabled individuals, and mandates that public organizations and services provide reasonable accommodations to meet varied physical needs. The concept of universal design” goes beyond what is mandated by the ADA. It ...read more >>
- Assessing Readability: Rules for Playing the Numbers Game December 1, 2000Article from the Boston Globe’s On Call Magazine, December 2000 By Helen Osborne, M.Ed., OTR/L President of Health Literacy Consulting Originally designed to help classroom teachers choose textbooks for their students, most readability formulas give a score in terms of a grade level. But it isn’t enough just to know how far your readers went in school. Many adults actually ...read more >>
- When It’s Time to Choose: Thinking About the Right Words November 1, 2000Article from the Boston Globe’s On Call Magazine, November 2000 By Helen Osborne, M.Ed., OTR/L President, Health Literacy Consulting Words not only convey information, they also reflect values and beliefs. As health professionals, we convey a sense of respect or a lack of it by the words we choose when we communicate with patients and colleagues. Regardless of whether you ...read more >>
- When Vision Is an Issue: Communicating With Patients Who Are Visually Impaired October 1, 2000Article from the Boston Globe’s On Call Magazine, October 2000 By Helen Osborne, MEd, OTR/L President of Health Literacy Consulting Visual impairments do not need to get in the way of effective communication. Keeping that in mind can help ensure your patients get the information they need. More than 39,000 Massachusetts residents are said to be legally blind. About 80 ...read more >>
- Health Literacy Month: It’s Time to Get Involved September 1, 2000Article from the Boston Globe’s On Call Magazine, September 2000 By Helen Osborne, M.Ed., OTR/L President of Health Literacy Consulting Health Literacy Month is listed in Chase’s Calendar of Events 2000. It is a grass-roots campaign to promote understandable health communication around the world. The month will be observed for the first time in October 2000. Advocates of health ...read more >>
- Thinking about Research: Things You Should Consider before You Say Yes August 1, 2000Article from the Boston Globe’s On Call Magazine, August 2000 By Helen Osborne, M.Ed., OTR/LA President of Health Literacy Consulting Clinicians routinely collaborate with researchers on projects designed to improve healthcare and healthcare options for their patients. Their roles range from recruiting patients to doing experimental studies to analyzing data. But while some research may involve familiar clinical routines, the ...read more >>
- When You Truly Need to Find Other Words: Working with Medical Interpreters July 1, 2000Article from the Boston Globe’s On Call Magazine, July 2000 By Helen Osborne, M.Ed., OTR/L President of Health Literacy Consulting By this time next year, every acute-care hospital in the Commonwealth will be required by law to provide interpreter services in connection with all emergency care for non-English speaking patients. But regardless of where the clinical encounter occurs, it is ...read more >>
- Finding What You Want with a Point and a Click: Using the Internet to Get the Medical Information You Need June 1, 2000Article from the Boston Globe’s On Call Magazine, June 2000 By Helen Osborne, M.Ed., OTR/L President of Health Literacy Consulting It truly is amazing how much medical information you can get off the Internet with just a point and a click. Everything from journal abstracts to complete books can be yours in a matter of seconds. The problem is knowing ...read more >>
- It Takes More Than Just Words: Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Materials April 1, 2000Article from the Boston Globe’s On Call Magazine, April, 2000 By Helen Osborne, M.Ed., OTR/L President of Health Literacy Consulting We all know how funny and confusing a mistranslation can be. But even when all the words are right and in the right place, your intended audience might still not understand you. “Everybody needs information to manage health,” says Sandra ...read more >>
- Don’t Just Stand There, Answer March 1, 2000Article from the Boston Globe’s On Call Magazine, March 2000 By Helen Osborne, M.Ed., OTR/L President of Health Literacy Consulting Making the Phone a Useful Tool for Working with Patients If all you do all day is answer the phone, you can soon learn to hate it. But if you know how to use it wisely, it can save time and ...read more >>
In the Press
- Book Marketing Mentors podcast June 15, 2018Book Marketing Mentors podcast features Helen Osborne who discusses the experience of taking a book from a traditional publisher to doing so on her own. Listen to Helen’s podcast conversation with Susan Friedmann, “How to Go from Traditional to Self-Published.” Order your copy of the book they’re discussing, Health Literacy from A to Z: Practical ...read more >>
- October is Health Literacy Month October 5, 2016In this blog about public libraries, Helen Osborne highlights ways everyone can help improve health understanding. She includes tips for those working in libraries, overseeing libraries, and visiting libraries. Article published in WebJunction: The Learning Place for Libraries.read more >>
- 8 ways to help people be better patients May 7, 2016Helen Osborne writes about ways that teachers, family members, and friends can help people be better patients. Published in the online journal EPALE, from the European Commission.read more >>
- Health Literacy Month Gets a Boost from Payers October 22, 2014HealthLeaders Media has a wonderful article about health literacy and health plans, written by Christopher Cheney. Helen Osborne is quoted throughout. The article is Health Literacy Month Gets a Boost from Payers.”read more >>
- HuffPost Healthy Living June 3, 2013Simple Tips for Creating Patient-Friendly Health Materials,” by Erin Marcus MD. Helen Osborne is cited several times along with other health literacy experts.read more >>
- Why Some Patients Aren’t Following Your Instructions May 29, 2013Why Some Patients Aren’t Following Your Instructions,” By Neil Chesanow, Medscape Today. Helen Osborne is quoted throughout this article about an epidemic of miscommunication.read more >>
- College & Undergraduate Libraries April 2, 2013Information Literacy Beyond the Library. Health Literacy: A National Responsiblity – Our Brother’s Keeper,” by Lana Jackman. Based on an extensive interview with Helen Osborne about the current state of health literacy.read more >>
- What’s Your Health IQ? April 29, 2011What’s Your Health IQ? Article by Lara Salahi for ABCNews.comread more >>
- Plain Language Matters March 12, 2010“Making Numbers Make Sense,” by Helen Osborne. A guest blog for the Center for Plain Language.read more >>
- CureToday.com December 24, 2009Layman’s Terms: How to Translate the Language of Cancer, by Charlotte Huff. Helen Osborne was quoted extensively in this article published in the Winter 2009 edition of CureToday.comread more >>
- The More You Know: How Much Is Enough When It Comes to Cancer Information? December 24, 2009The More You Know: How Much Is Enough When It Comes to Cancer Information? By Helen Osborne CureToday.com, Winter 2009read more >>
- CUREtoday.com November 3, 2009“Do You Understand Your Diagnosis? Kathy LaTour, editor-at-large for CURE Media Group blogs about Helen Osborne’s work in health literacy and how it affects people with cancer.read more >>
- Pennsylvania State Senate October 6, 2009The Pennsylvania State Senate has proclaimed October as Health Literacy Month. Thank you for being a health literacy champion, Senator Kitchen.read more >>
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