Health Literacy for Interprofessional Education (IPE) eToolkit

NIH. Plain Language:Getting Started or Brushing Up is a helpful resource on how to write in Plain Language for low literate audiences. The information is available on their website or as a PDF.

Toolkit for Making Written Material Clear and Effective. CMS. (Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services).

This 11-part Toolkit provides a detailed and comprehensive set of tools to help make written material easier for people to read, understand, and use. You can download the toolkit as a whole or use just one of its parts. The 11-parts are:

• Toolkit Part 1:   About this Toolkit and how it can help you
• Toolkit Part 2:   Using a reader-centered approach to develop and test written material
• Toolkit Part 3:   Summary List of the "Toolkit Guidelines for Writing and Design"
• Toolkit Part 4:   Understanding and using the "Toolkit Guidelines for Writing"
• Toolkit Part 5:   Understanding and using the "Toolkit Guidelines for Graphic Design"
• Toolkit Part 6:   How to collect and use feedback from readers
• Toolkit Part 7:   Using readability formulas: A cautionary note
• Toolkit Part 8:   Will your written material be on a website?
• Toolkit Part 9:   Things to know if your written material is for older adults
• Toolkit Part 10: "Before and after" example: Using this Toolkit's guidelines to revise a brochure
• Toolkit Part 11: Understanding and using the "Toolkit Guidelines for Culturally Appropriate Translation"

Simply Put. A  Guide for Creating Easy-to-Understand Materials. CDC. (Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention. 3rd ed. April 2009.

The guide provides practical ways to write clearly, organize information and use visuals. It is also useful for creating fact sheets, FAQ’s, brochures, booklets, pamphlets, and other materials, including web content. 

Ridpath JR, Greene SM, Wiese CJ; PRISM Readability Toolkit. 3rd ed. Seattle: Group Health Research
Institute; 2007. 

The PRISM Readability Toolkit is a compendium of strategies, real-world examples, and related resources to aid in the creation of easily understandable print materials.

A Plain-Language Checklist for Reviewing Your Document. National Institutes of Health. Plain Language: Getting Started or Brushing Up. 2013. This checklist allows you to to assess the clarity of your writing against 7 important aspects of plain language communication.

Patient Education Materials Assessment Tools (PEMAT)
AHRQ's Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool (PEMAT) is a systematic method to evaluate and compare the understandability and actionability of patient education materials. It is designed as a guide to help determine whether patients will be able to understand and act on information. Separate tools are available for use with print and audiovisual materials.

• Assessment Tool for Print Materials (PEMAT-P)
• Assessment Tool for Audiovisual Materials (PEMAT - AV)

Design Readability Scorecard. By Doug Seubert of Health Communications

Doug Seubert is a health communications consultant who developed the Design Readability Scorecard to improve patient education handouts by evaluating and assigning a score to 7 important document design elements. You can view his presentation on this topic and download the Scorecard Tool here.

A Plain-Language Checklist for Reviewing Your Document.

From: National Institutes of Health. Plain Language: Getting Started or Brushing Up. 2013. This checklist allows you to to assess the clarity of your writing against 7 important aspects of plain language communication.