Helpful Resources

The purpose of the  handbook is to guide staff through the process of developing written patient education materials. These are generally provided to the patients by the clinicians before a procedure, at discharge or at other moments when an important decision must be made.

Topics in the handbook include:

• Assessing the needs of the patient population

• Writing at an appropriate literacy level

• Designing the material visually to ensure that people with lower literacy understand the message being communicated, and

• Ensuring that all materials are evidence-based.

In 2014, the Agence de santé et services sociaux de Montréal (now integrated into the CIUSSS Centre-Est) cited the above handbook in their publication,  Pour qu'on se comprene : guide de littératie en santé. The guide provides guidance to health professionals on the topics of health literacy and how to create effective patient materials for print, web, and multimedia (video, podcast, etc). Please note that there is no English version.

 Plain Language Links -  Centre for Literacy

 Resources - Plain Canada Clair

 Plain Language Medical Dictionary -  University of Michigan

 Health Literacy - Resources - Harvard School of Public Health

 Plain Language (includes audit tool) - Northwest Territories Literacy Council

 Plain Language - Plain Language Association International

 Resources for Creating Patient Education Materials - University of Minnesota - Bio-Medical Library

Patient & Family Resource Centre Resource

 Finding Information to Share with Patients  (2019 presentation)

Online Resources

 Online Health Information Aid (Québec/McGill)

 Trust it or Trash it

 Evaluating Health Information (MedlinePlus)

 Find Good Health Information For Health Consumers and Patients (MLA)

 How to Find Cancer Resources You Can Trust (US National Cancer Institute)

Meet the needs of our users

The information must be relevant to the care provided to patients and families by the hospital and it must support the needs of JGH/CIUSSS clinics and departments.

Reliable and up-to-date

The information must have been reviewed and/or updated recently (ideally, within the last 5 years) and must cite its sources. It should be clear who wrote the information and possible to verify that they are a credible source (Does the author provide their credentials? Does the publisher have a good reputation?).

Support partnership

The information should support, not replace, the relationship that patients and their families /caregivers have with their health professionals.

Meet our standards for quality

The information should be well written and presented, without spelling mistakes and other errors.

Available in as many languages as possible

The information should be available in either French or English, as well as other languages when possible.

Easy-to-read

The information should be as easy-to-read as possible. Materials created by JGH health professionals and medical librarians must be edited for reading ease and be at a grade 6-8 level.

The following disclaimer can be included with any patient level materials created at the JGH. It has been edited for literacy level, translated, and approved by the JGH's Department of Public Affairs and Communications.

ENGLISH:

This information should not be considered as medical advice. It is not to be used in place of a visit with a doctor, nurse or other healthcare professional. If you have questions about your individual medical situation, please consult with your healthcare professional.

FRENCH:

Les renseignements contenus dans ce document ne doivent pas être considérés comme un avis médical. Ils ne doivent pas remplacer une consultation auprès d’un médecin, d’une infirmière ou de tout autre professionnel de la santé. Si vous avez des questions concernant vos problèmes médicaux personnels, veuillez consulter un professionnel de la santé.