In the Know: news and best practices

October 2020

Health Literacy Month: Health literacy during COVID-19

The fast spread of COVID-19 means ● The people most at risk for : This is staying a safe people are expected to absorb health experiencing health disparities are distance from other people to limit the information and change their habits also most at risk for struggling to spread of a disease. very quickly. providers and understand the health care system Telehealth, telemedicine or virtual organizations are working hard to offer and health terms. visit: This visit lets you see and talk with simple advice and recommendations. ● It’s important that health information a health care provider at another location But there is still an overwhelming amount is easy to understand so people through a computer or cell phone. of complex and false health information know how to protect themselves and : This practice is for people that patients need to sift through. when they should seek care. who have or may have been around a ● Using health literacy best practices – person who is sick. It means staying During the COVID-19 pandemic, like using plain, easy to understand away from other people in case they using plain language and other health language – helps people understand become sick. literacy best practices is more important and act on the health information than ever before. That is why we are they receive. recognizing national Health Literacy Month by sharing simple messages and Fact sheet resources you can use to help educate Plain language You can download a printable, easy-to- patients and the general public. There are a lot of new health care terms share campaign fact sheet here. being used right now. It’s critical that health professionals use plain language The need for health literacy is strong that patients can understand the first Here are some helpful messages that time they hear or read it. demonstrate the strong need for health literacy best practices right now. Contact tracing: This is a way to identify ● Even before the pandemic, nearly people who have or may have been 9 out of 10 Americans struggled to around a person who is sick. understand health information. ● Because of COVID-19, people are Coronavirus: This is a group of viruses hearing a lot of new health care (germs) that cause people to get sick. terms and phrases they may not COVID-19: This stands for “coronavirus know. disease of 2019.” COVID-19 spreads from person to person. Isolation: This practice is for people who are sick. It means staying away from people who are not sick. Pandemic: This means a disease has spread across many countries and continents. Sanitize: This is a process to reduce the number of germs on a surface that can cause disease. Campaign fact sheet How to know if news is legitimate Additional resources

The rise of and online Five things to keep in mind Here is a list of reliable, educational news means that someone can post Sometimes it can be hard to tell if COVID-19 resources you can share an article today with a simple click of a news story is real. Below are five with patients, providers and the a button. things to consider next time you’re public. not sure. In fact, 85% of U.S. adults now get Centers for Disease Control and their news on a mobile device. This 1. THE SOURCE: Have you heard Prevention: This website has tons is a major shift from even 10 years of this website before? Check of resources that help people ago, when television news and out their “About Us” or “Contact” understand everything from how to newspapers were more popular. webpages to learn more about properly wear a mask to when they Being able to get your news instantly the organization. should get a COVID-19 test. on your phone is convenient, but Minnesota Department of Health: there are some things that people 2. THE CONTENT: Read the full Access the latest COVID-19 updates should be mindful of. article and compare it to the for Minnesota, including suggestions headline that caught your eye. for where to get tested and how to is a helpful tool to Oftentimes, unreliable news slow the spread. understand where your news is stories’ headlines have little to do coming from and if it’s true. This with the actual content within the Worldwide Health Organization: The is especially helpful right now as article. This is called clickbait. organization’s YouTube channel has theories and fake news about the many short videos to help people pandemic run rampant. 3. QUOTES: Are there quotes in better understand COVID-19. the article? Quotes from notable people add an extra layer of authenticity and most likely means that the news you’re Follow us on social is real! media 4. QUALITY: If the is sloppy and full of typos, that’s a Stay up-to-date on health literacy red flag. Most reputable news best practices, tips and events. sources have copy editors that would catch these errors before publication. @MNHealthLit 5. GOOGLE: When in doubt, Google! Search for the story’s topic to see if any other reputable news sources are reporting on it. @MNHealthLit

Learn more about media literacy here. @Minnesota Health Literacy Partnership

In the Know: Supported by Health literacy news and best practices healthliteracymn.org