Return-Path: <nifl-health@literacy.nifl.gov> Received: from literacy (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.10.2/8.10.2) with SMTP id j190KoC24284; Tue, 8 Feb 2005 19:20:50 -0500 (EST) Date: Tue, 8 Feb 2005 19:20:50 -0500 (EST) Message-Id: <00ad01c50e3c$b2e16630$2d8e2344@D5NPYT31> Errors-To: listowner@literacy.nifl.gov Reply-To: nifl-health@literacy.nifl.gov Originator: nifl-health@literacy.nifl.gov Sender: nifl-health@literacy.nifl.gov Precedence: bulk From: "Audrey Riffenburgh" <ar@plainlanguageworks.com> To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-health@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-HEALTH:4651] Re: Using MedlinePlus tutorials X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 6.00.2900.2180 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Type: text/plain; Status: O Content-Length: 9243 Lines: 291 Hello, Sabrina, Yes, I remember when you did that presentation and the response was indeed good. If the tutorials are used as they are intended, they are certainly more helpful than many other resources. I'd like to give one caution, though. I recently heard from a large health system that they don't have enough computers for patients to watch the tutorials so their patient educators are simply printing out the handouts and giving them to patients. They are under the impression that these are easy-to-read and will be sufficient as stand-alone documents. However, the handouts are not necessarily complete without watching the tutorial. For example, if you try to do the exercises in the handout on preventing back pain with only the text as instruction, having not seen the tutorial, you will not be able to do them correctly. Certain pieces of critical information, such as whether you should be on your back or your stomach, are missing from the print version. And even if you did watch the tutorial, if you try to use the handouts a month later, will you necessarily remember the information from the tutorial? And, finally, reading them without having seen the tutorial would be bear for many people because they include a lot of unfamiliar medical terminology (much of which, in my view, is unnecessary). So, again, just a reminder to really look at what you're giving patients with an eye toward usability and readability and be willing to ask yourself if this is how the piece was intended to be used. Best wishes on this quest toward better understanding for patients! Audrey Riffenburgh, M.A. President, Riffenburgh & Associates P.O. Box 6670, Albuquerque, NM 87197 Phone: (505) 345-1107 Fax: (505) 345-1104 E-mail: ar@plainlanguageworks.com Specialists in Plain Language and Health Literacy since 1994 Faculty, Health Literacy Institute, www.healthliteracyinstitute.net Principal & Founding Member, The Clear Language Group www.clearlanguagegroup.com ----- Original Message ----- From: "Sabrina Kurtz-Rossi" <sabrina_kurtz-rossi@worlded.org> To: "Multiple recipients of list" <nifl-health@literacy.nifl.gov> Sent: Tuesday, February 08, 2005 10:24 AM Subject: [NIFL-HEALTH:4649] Re: Firstfind.info resources on the web? > Last fall I presented the MEDLINEplus interactive tutorials > http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorial.html to a group of new > readers and they really liked it. While certainly the readability and > graphics of the tutorials could be improved, the multi-media aspect of > the site (sound, graphics, and text) appeared to be a great support and > was very much appreciated. I'm interested in using the Flash technology > more in our web publishing. Have others web-published using Flash? > What have been your experiences? > > - Sabrina > > ------------------------------------------------- > Sabrina Kurtz-Rossi > World Education > 44 Farnsworth Street > Boston, MA 02210 > 617-482-9485 > skurtz@worlded.org > >>>> bcarmel@rocketmail.com 2/8/2005 10:47:14 AM >>> > Dear Eugenio and others, > Have you shown firstfind.info to people with limited > literacy? It is not for non-readers. In my > experience, people with limited literacy like it a > lot. > > --- Eugenio Longoria < ezl109@psu.edu > wrote: > >> Although this seems to be a good website, it is >> still not very good for >> people with low levels of literacy. It is not as >> plain and simple as they >> advertise it is. >> >> Eu- >> >> -----Original Message----- >> From: nifl-health@nifl.gov >> [mailto:nifl-health@nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Audrey >> Riffenburgh >> Sent: Tuesday, February 08, 2005 9:10 AM >> To: Multiple recipients of list >> Subject: [NIFL-HEALTH:4642] Re: Firstfind.info >> resources on the web? >> >> Hello, >> >> I've heard from three people now who have had no >> problem with firstfind.info >> >> so it must be on my end. Thank you for letting me >> know. I do hope to see the >> >> site. It sounds like it would be very useful. >> >> Audrey Riffenburgh, M.A. >> President, Riffenburgh & Associates >> P.O. Box 6670, Albuquerque, NM 87197 >> Phone: (505) 345-1107 Fax: (505) 345-1104 >> E-mail: ar@plainlanguageworks.com >> Specialists in Plain Language and Health Literacy >> since 1994 >> and >> Principal & Founding Member, The Clear Language >> Group >> www.clearlanguagegroup.com >> ----- Original Message ----- >> From: "David Rosen" < DJRosen@TheWorld.com > >> To: "Multiple recipients of list" >> < nifl-health@literacy.nifl.gov > >> Sent: Monday, February 07, 2005 7:59 PM >> Subject: [NIFL-HEALTH:4641] Re: Firstfind.info >> resources on the web? >> >> >> > Hello Audrey, Andrew and others, >> > >> > I have just tried accessing firstfind.info using a >> PC and Mac and several >> > different browsers. It works on all -- except for >> some reason Internet >> > explorer 5.2 for a Mac running OS X. I'll bring >> this to the attention of >> > Robin Osborne at the Westchester Library System to >> see if there is >> > something which can be done. >> > >> > It might be helpful to Robin, Audrey, to know what >> system (PC or MAC, what >> >> > operating system) and browser (type and version) >> you are using. >> > >> > firstfind.info is a great resource, which I >> certainly hope you will be >> > able to see. >> > >> > All the best, >> > >> > David >> > >> > David J. Rosen >> > djrosen@comcast.net >> > On Feb 7, 2005, at 8:52 PM, Andrew Pleasant wrote: >> > >> >> Seems to be working well on my system. >> >> >> >> Andrew Pleasant >> >> Assistant Professor >> >> Rutgers University >> >> >> >> >> >>> Greetings, again, >> >>> >> >>> Bruce Carmel told us about a resource called >> firstfind.info which I am >> >>> eager >> >>> to see but we can't get the site to work. Has >> anyone else tried? The >> >>> only >> >>> item in the menu that worked today or on >> Saturday is the Local >> >>> Resources. >> >>> Can anyone fill us in on what's up? >> >>> >> >>> Audrey Riffenburgh, M.A. >> >>> President, Riffenburgh & Associates >> >>> P.O. Box 6670, Albuquerque, NM 87197 >> >>> Phone: (505) 345-1107 Fax: (505) 345-1104 >> >>> E-mail: ar@plainlanguageworks.com >> >>> Specialists in Plain Language and Health >> Literacy since 1994 >> >>> and >> >>> Principal & Founding Member, The Clear Language >> Group >> >>> www.clearlanguagegroup.com >> >>> >> >>> ----- Original Message ----- >> >>> From: "Bruce Carmel" < bcarmel@rocketmail.com > >> >>> To: "Multiple recipients of list" >> < nifl-health@literacy.nifl.gov > >> >>> Sent: Saturday, February 05, 2005 7:18 PM >> >>> Subject: [NIFL-HEALTH:4633] Re: "Easy-to-read" >> resources on the web >> >>> >> >>> >> >>>> firstfind.info is probably worth a look for >> anyone >> >>>> looking for >> >>>> "easy-to-read" web info. It's a library of >> >>>> non-commercial web sites selected by >> librarians. David >> >>>> Rosen, Susan Cowles, Maura Donnelly, Robin >> Osborne, >> >>>> and I helped train them to use more than grade >> level >> >>>> as a selection criterion. In fact we did not >> use grade >> >>>> level, but were more holistic. >> >>>> Bruce Carmel >> >>>> http://firstfind.info >> >>>> >> >>>> >> >>>> --- Audrey Riffenburgh >> < ar@plainlanguageworks.com > >> >>>> wrote: >> >>>> >> >>>>> Greetings, all, >> >>>>> >> >>>>> >> >>>>> >> >>>>> In my ten years working in health literacy, I >> have >> >>>>> seen a huge increase in >> >>>>> materials on the web which are labeled as >> easy. >> >>>>> There are SOME easy-to-read >> >>>>> health resources on the web but many of the >> >>>>> materials labeled as >> >>>>> easy-to-read are still far too difficult for >> most of >> >>>>> the general public. As >> >>>>> you probably know, the average U.S. adult >> reads at >> >>>>> about 8th "grade" level. >> >>>>> Much of the material on the web that is >> labeled >> >>>>> "easy" or "plain language" >> >>>>> is written at much higher levels. (There are >> >>>>> inherent problems in using >> >>>>> grade levels to label adult readers but this >> gives >> >>>>> you a general idea of the >> >>>>> level of functioning vs. the literacy demands >> of >> >>>>> printed materials.) >> >>>>> >> >>>>> >> >>>>> >> >>>>> I recently analyzed the reading level of >> seven >> >>>>> materials on, or linked to, >> >>>>> MedlinePlus' "Easy-to-Read" area. The average >> >>>>> reading level was 11 and the >> >>>>> range was from 8 to 16. The results were >> similar for >> >>>>> the FDA's website where >> >>>>> they offer "easy" resources. >> >>>>> >> >>>>> >> >>>>> >> >>>>> The problem is in defining "easy." What is >> easy to >> >>>>> an average or lower >> >>>>> skilled reader is entirely different from >> what is >> >>>>> easy for those doing the >> >>>>> labeling. So I suggest great caution in using >> >>>>> materials labeled this way. >> >>>>> They may not achieve what you are hoping for >> or >> >>>>> assuming they will achieve. >> >>>>> >> >>>>> >> >>>>> >> >>>>> Plus, keep in mind that there are dozens of >> factors >> >>>>> beyond reading level >> >>>>> that affect a document's appropriateness. >> These >> > === message truncated === > > > > > __________________________________ > Do you Yahoo!? > Take Yahoo! Mail with you! Get it on your mobile phone. > http://mobile.yahoo.com/maildemo > >
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Mon Oct 31 2005 - 09:49:37 EST