People of all educational and health literacy levels prefer health information presented in its simplest, easiest-to-understand form. Health professionals are often unaware of how well patients and caregivers are understanding them. A "universal precautions" approach to health communication means making information as easy as possible to understand and act on for all patients and caregivers at all points of contact. Don't assume a person's health literacy level, even for people you believe will have a high-level of understanding. Instead, use these clear communication techniques for everyone. 

Unnecessary and undefined medical jargon can undermine a person's understanding, confidence, trust, and ability to act on health information. Speak and write using "plain language"—words and phrases that people without health professions training will recognize and use in their daily lives. When using medical terms is necessary, make sure to define or describe their meaning and check patients' understanding. 

When it comes to health information and clear communication, less is often more. To avoid information overload, prioritize sharing high-priority "need-to-know" information first before anything else. Focus on the 1 to 3 "need-to-know" things you want the patient or caregiver to understand and remember after the encounter. Sharing this information in a logical order will help with patient understanding and recall. 

Make sure to check the patient's understanding of each point before moving on to the next item. Providing additional information past the main points should be matched to the patient or caregiver's request for more information.

When asking patients or caregivers questions to check for understanding or to address concerns, avoid using questions that have a "yes" or "no" response. Asking open-ended questions will allow you to be more successful in evaluating their understanding of information or in eliciting their concerns. 

For example, instead of asking "Do you have any questions?"  try asking "What questions do you have?"

Health care professionals should always check that they have communicated clearly. Unfortunately, for complex reasons, asking patient and caregivers "yes" or "no" questions are often answered misleadingly. Questions like, do you understand? or, does this make sense? and do we have a good plan? are often answered with a "yes", even when there is significant confusion or misunderstanding. 

Instead, the teach-back technique allows you to elicit a patient's understanding of the information you've shared in their own words. When using this method, be sure to tell them you are checking to see how well you did in explaining things; do not make it seem like you are testing them. 

Try using phrases such as:

"Let me make sure I've explained things clearly. In your own words, what is the plan?"

"I want to make sure I described this well, can you tell me how you'll use the new device?"

"How would you explain this to your partner?"

On average, baseline health literacy is lower among adults who learned English as a second or other language. For such individuals, the use of unnecessary medical jargon may be even more problematic. Communicating in a patient or caregiver's preferred language, using medical interpreters, and using clear communication principles will provide the best potential benefit in medical encounters. Health care organizations should also work with translation services to provide written materials in languages used by their patient populations. 

Keep in mind that not all patients prefer the same method of communication for a variety of reasons. Some patients may prefer written communication and would benefit from handouts to supplement information shared verbally. Others may have a difficult time with heavy reading and prefer a verbal conversation or watching a video they can listen to and replay when needed. Having multiple methods for sharing common need-to-know information helps cultivate equitable access to health information and sources. Written materials should also be produced at a 5th to 6th grade reading level, in order to be accessible to the majority of U.S. adults.