Kristin L. Carman, PhD Pam Dardess, MPH, Sandy Robinson, MSPH American Institutes for Research AHRQ 2009 Conference September 13-16, 2009 Creating audience-centered print materials

Objectives for today’s presentation What does it mean to create audience-centered materials? Show and discuss specific examples of materials that reflect audience-centered principles Communications Toolkit Guides for Treatment Decisions Your Guide to Preventing and Treating Blood Clots

Creating audience-centered materials Audience-centered materials are: – User-focused – Evidence-based – Culturally appropriate – Accessible – Actionable

User-focused Communication and materials: – Reflect the realities of people’s lives - their circumstances, attitudes, beliefs, and practices – Acknowledge and address users’ information needs and concerns – Reflect user preferences for formatting and dissemination This requires involving your intended audience throughout the development cycle – “test drive” your messages and materials and gather feedback

Evidence-based development Health literacy and numeracy Decision science Communication research Dissemination research and social marketing In creating materials, draw on what we know about best practices from fields such as:

Culturally appropriate Materials reflect and speak to your audience’s lives and realities – Demonstrate understanding of values, behaviors, attitudes, and practices – Use appropriate language, examples, pictures

Accessible Conveys “what’s in it for me” Plain language Easy to understand content Easy to read format

What’s in it for the reader? Who should be reading this? What’s the benefit for them? What can it tell them or help them to do? What can’t it tell them?

Plain language Write the way you talk Use active voice Use common words as possible Use short sentences, on average Use pronunciation guides

Explain unfamiliar terms using examples

Easy-to-understand content Set the stage and build an information foundation This document explains what it means to get good quality health care – and serves as the basis for subsequent documents that talk about how to get good quality care

Easy-to-understand content Avoid information overload Chunk information Brief, but complete

Easy-to-read format

Actionable Concise bullets Concrete, specific information “At-hand” resources for people who want more information

Questions to Ask Actionable Tells exactly what questions to ask and consider One page “at-a- glance” format Space to jot down notes

Summary Creating reader-centered materials means: – Presenting clear, factual information – Helping people understand why the information is important to them and how it can be used – Making it easy to use the information in context The challenge is not merely to communicate accurate information to consumers, but to present and target that information so that it is actually used in decision-making

Questions? Comments?

References and Additional Resources References – Communication Toolkit – Comparative Effectiveness Summary Guides – Your Guide to Preventing and Treating Blood Clots Additional Resources – Making Health Communication Programs Work (also called the “Pink Book”) – Plain Language: Improving Communication from the Federal Government to the Public

For More Information Kristin L. Carman, PhD Managing Director, Health Policy and Research American Institutes for Research