Health Communication

English as a Second Language

By Courtney Todd

What Happened?
Click on the pictures below to read the scenario

Discharge: Luis is released

Click on the pictures below for information

Who is Elena Gonzalez?

When the picture is clicked, it will give
Elena Gonzalezs background
information in a pop-up text box.
Elena Gonzalez is a legal immigrant
from Mexico. She became a citizen of
the USA 10 years ago.
Elena Gonzalez is 60 years old.
Elenas daughter is Sofia, who has a
son named Luis.
Elena reads and writes English at an
8th grade level.
Elena babysits Luis everyday while
Sofia is working.
Elena does not understand the
United States medical system.

Whats the problem?

Theres a communication gap

How do we fix the

gap?

Keep it simple.
Complex

Simple

Accomplish

Do

Utilize

Use

Strategize

Plan

Locality

Place

Interactive: when the complex word is clicked the simple word will appear in red
font.

Keep it short.
Cut out the unnecessary words

Instead of:
With regard to

Use:
About

By means of

By

In the event that

If

Until such time

Until

In respect of

for

Interactive: when instead of column is clicked the use columns words will appear in red
font.

Keep it clear.
Abstract Idea

Concrete Example

I want success.

I want a private jet and a

house on the ocean.
I want a summer vacation
with paid time off.

I want freedom.

Interactive: when the abstract column is clicked the concrete

examples will appear in red font.

Use Phonetics
Using Phonetic charts will help Elena read words correctly.

Word

Phonetics

Antibiotic

(an-ty-by-ah-tik)

Diagnosis

(dy-ag-noh-sis)

Therapy

(ther-ah-pee)

Antiseptic

(an-tih-sep-tik)

Interactive: when the word column is clicked the Phonetic examples will
appear in red font.

Dont change verbs into nouns!

Instead of:

Use:

The requirement of the

department is that all
employees work Black Friday.

The department requires all

employees to work Black
Friday.

You will work on the

establishment of goals for
employees.

You will establish goals for

employees.

Interactive: when the Instead of column is clicked the Use examples will
appear in red font.

Choose your words Consistently

Choose one word and stick with it!
1. How to care for Luis.
2. How to treat

Luis.

If you use treat once, use it

throughout the document.

3. How to heal Luis.

Interactive: once the PowerPoint slide is clicked, each sentence will appear in list order.
After everything is on the slide, the word treat will be circled and the arrow will appear
with text inside.

Use acronyms carefully.

But when in doubt, spell it out!

W/O= without
W F = with food
Interactive:When the acronyms are clicked, the proper term will appear in red font.

Write in the active voice.

Instead of:

Use:

In the morning, the

doctor will examine
Luis.
In two days, Luis
should be feeling
100% better.

The doctor will

examine Luis in the
morning.
Luis will feel 100%
better in two days.

Interactive: when the Instead of column is clicked the Use examples will
appear in red font.

Emphasize the positive.

Instead of:

Use:

If Luis rejects the

medicine, he will not get
better.
If Luis does not pass the
discharge test, he will not
go home.

Luis must take the

medicine to get better.
Luis will not go home if he
fails the discharge test.

Interactive: when the Instead of column is clicked the Use examples will appear in red font.

Think about it this way:

Words are symbols for what we perceive
with our senses

They communicate what we think, feel, and

do.
The more complex the idea, the harder it is
to express it in words.

Use Plain Language to

communicate with
Elena.

End of Module