Plain Language Guide
Why Plain Language is Needed in Healthcare
Communication is in plain language if its wording, structure, and design are so clear that the intended readers can easily find what they need, understand what they find, and use that information. Plain-language materials are organized logically and designed with readers’ needs in mind.
Using plain language is a key part of health literacy. Clear, everyday words help people understand information, make safer decisions, and avoid errors or unnecessary use of healthcare services, thereby reducing risk.
Plain language also supports organizational priorities reflected in accreditation standards and patient-experience surveys. These may address whether people receive information they can understand, even when the term health literacy isn’t used. Plain language helps healthcare organizations to reduce confusion, enhance safety, build trust, and support equity.
Explore the IHA Health Literacy Guide here.
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Plain Language Challenges In Healthcare
40% of U.S. adults
Earn under 185% the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) and have lower health literacy.
Learn more about the benefits of clear health communication.
How does plain language benefit health organizations?
Plain language helps readers and it produces measurable benefits for health organizations.
Organizations that implement plain language practices can:
- Reduce avoidable/unnecessary service use
- Improve adherence to care instructions
- Strengthen patient safety
- Improve patient experience and satisfaction
- Increase accessibility for diverse populations
- Build trust in information and services
Plain language also supports broader organizational priorities. Patient-experience surveys and accreditation standards may address whether people receive understandable information and can navigate their care, even when the term health literacy isn’t used.
Clear communication supports better outcomes for both individuals and the systems that serve them.
What are plain language best practices?
Organizations can improve communication by following key plain language practices:
- Use common, familiar words instead of technical terms
- Write in short sentences and paragraphs
- Put the most important information first
- Use headings and lists to organize information and improve navigation
- Provide clear instructions about what to do next
Even small changes in wording and structure can significantly improve understanding.
What Does Plain Language Look Like In Healthcare?
These principles become clearer when you see how they are applied to real communications. For example:
Before (technical language)
Patients should administer the medication bi-daily and discontinue use if adverse gastrointestinal symptoms occur.
After (plain language)
Take this medicine twice a day. Stop taking it and call your doctor if you have stomach pain or vomiting.
Clear wording helps readers understand instructions quickly and reduces the chance of medication errors.
How does IHA support plain language implementation?
The Institute for Healthcare Advancement offers tools and training to help organizations and their teams integrate plain language into everyday workflows.
IHA’s HealthLiteracyCopilot™ is the only AI-powered web platform developed for regulated health communication to evaluate content against validated, evidence-based standards. It creates, assesses, revises and translates health content into plain language to improve patient understanding and compliance, delivering optimal health outcomes.
IHA’s PlainLanguagePro course builds the specific skills you need to apply health literacy practices to health materials. This virtual training focuses on the practical side of clear communication, helping you improve the design, writing, and presentation of health information so it’s easier to understand and use.
IHA’s comprehensive, accredited online Health Literacy Specialist Certificate Program (HLSCP) builds your health literacy knowledge to empower you with the critical skills needed to integrate health literacy by communicating clearly, building trust, and reducing complexity to improve health outcomes.
IHA’s Health Literacy Solutions Center is a community of professionals who put health literacy into practice every day. Connect with peers, share questions and challenges, exchange ideas, and learn from others facing similar situations. Find practical approaches to making health information easier to understand, improving patient materials and communications, strengthening organizational health literacy practices, and helping people navigate care with greater confidence.
The Bottom Line
Plain language helps people find, understand, and use health information to make informed decisions and take the next steps in their care.
For health organizations, clearer communication can improve patient safety, reduce unnecessary service use, improve patient experience, and build trust.
Plain language is one part of a broader health literacy approach that also considers how information is designed, how people navigate services, and how organizations support understanding throughout the healthcare experience.
With the right tools, training, and organizational practices, health literacy can become part of how healthcare systems work every day.
To learn more, read Why Health Literacy Matters: The Data Behind Better Outcomes.
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