Sydney Health Literacy Lab (SHLL) Health Literacy Editor

Abstract

An online real-time editor to improve the health-literate design of written materials that assesses text for health literacy principles (e.g. readability, complex language (use of uncommon words, medical or health jargon, and acronyms), complex structure (sentences or paragraphs), passive voice, lexical density, and use of patient-centred language). The editor draws on existing national and international resources such as the the CDC’s Everyday Words for Public Health Communication, National Adult Literacy Agency’s Simply Put (Irish government), the University of Michigan’s Plain Language Medical Dictionary, and the Diabetes Australia language position statement. Feedback is provided directly on the text itself (for example, by highlighting the text), and through summary statements (for example, Grade reading score, number of uncommon words). Users can then use this feedback iteratively to revise and refine the text, and print a summary report that will summarise assessment items.