How-To Tips
Helen Osborne’s monthly tips about how to clearly communicate about health.
- Helping Patients Problem Solve October 1, 2026The more I hear from family and friends about medical mishaps, the more convinced I am that patients need yet another skill—the ability to independently problem solve what to do in unplanned or unfamiliar situations. Some musings about how health professionals can help patients problem solve: Appreciate that patients will have “oops” moments. Perhaps a patient forgets to ...read more >>
- The Caring Part of Healthcare September 1, 2026Many of us chose the work we do because of a desire to help others. But this intent can sometimes get overlooked midst an overwhelming amount of workplace demands. Here are some tips to help you focus again on the caring part of healthcare. Caring for others. Demonstrate caring not just with your words but also ...read more >>
- How Adults Learn August 1, 2026All provider-patient encounters are opportunities for learning and teaching, even when not labeled as such. “Teachers” can be clinicians or anyone else responsible for health instruction. “Students” may be patients, caregivers, or others receiving this information. “Subject matter” refers to topics being taught. Education like this works best when teachers teach in ways that help learners learn. This month’s Tip looks ...read more >>
- Ethics of Simplicity July 1, 2026In many ways, we as plain language writers serve as translators of scientific and medical information. We must communicate complicated, often-ambiguous, ever-changing health information in a manner that is sufficiently clear and understandable even to those with average reading skills. Writing this way is more than just replacing long, complicated terms with one- or two-syllable words. ...read more >>
- Using Visuals to Teach June 1, 2026Maybe you know visual learners like me—people who learn best when watching demonstrations or seeing drawings and photographs. Visuals can go a long way toward helping others understand health care concepts and instructions. Here are some how-to’s: Acquire the artwork you need. There are many ways to acquire needed artwork. You might begin by looking online for ...read more >>
- Metaphors, Similes, and Analogies May 1, 2026Metaphors, similes, and analogies are figures of speech used to help people understand unfamiliar words and concepts. They do so by comparing new information to that which people already know. While there are important distinctions between these forms of speech, for sake of simplicity I’ll use the overall term “metaphor.” Here are some how-to ways for ...read more >>
- Using Stories to Teach About Health April 1, 2026Stories are powerful health communication tools. By combining emotions and facts, stories can help people connect with health information in a more personal way. Stories can help people of all ages and cultures find qualities they have in common. Stories not only can be engaging but also are easy for most people to understand—even by those ...read more >>
- Confirm Understanding: Feedback March 1, 2026Just because we say something, just because we write it, just because we know this information is important does not necessarily mean that the person we are communicating with will be able to read, relate to, and follow this information. It is vital that we confirm that messages are truly understood. This month’s How-To-Tip is about using ...read more >>
- Confirm Understanding: Teach-Back February 1, 2026It is vital that we as health communicators confirm that our messages are truly understood. Two important ways to do this are with teach-back (for the spoken word) and feedback (for print and web information). This month’s How-To Tip looks at teach-back. This is a back-and-forth verbal exchange used to assess whether both sides of a ...read more >>
- Readable Writing Starts with Good Organization January 1, 2026Where do you begin when writing documents that readers must understand? In my experience, the best place to start is with organization. That means matching your information to the interests, abilities, and knowledge of the intended audience. Here’s how-to: Assemble a writing team. It takes a team to write a readable document. Team members should include one ...read more >>
- Helping Others Ask Questions December 1, 2025Health Literacy How-To Tip “Do you have any questions?” the clinician asks. Oftentimes a patient answers, “No, no questions.” I’ve long wondered why it is so hard for patients to ask questions. It could be that patients cannot think clearly when feeling scared or overwhelmed. It might be that they don’t want to feel stupid or appear ...read more >>
- Listening & Speaking November 1, 2025Health Literacy How-To Just because listening & speaking happens a lot doesn’t mean that this form of communication is always easy or effective. For instance, speaking can be hard when providers are rushed, explain the same concepts over and over again, or assume that patients understand everything being said. For patients, listening can be hard because ...read more >>
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