It’s a paradox that rare diseases are not so rare; one in ten people has a rare disease. Yet each rare disease, and each person’s experience with a rare disease, is different. This makes for complex communication with family and health professionals. Hear how Dr. Paul Ranelli uses the arts to delve into the complexities […]

A few health professionals recently shared stories of pushback from colleagues regarding health literacy. Learn how you can respond to the next person who believes health literacy is just about medical terms. In this episode, I take up a problem expressed recently by a few health professionals who were frustrated by some pushback they were […]

Every 2 weeks for 5 years, “10 Minutes to Better Patient Communication” has been bringing you new avenues into health communication, patient education and health literacy. Find out how one physician answered the question “what is health literacy,” and hear the new sound we got for our birthday! Happy Birthday, “10 Minutes!” For 5 years, […]

If you care about health literacy, in this episode you’ll learn why busting the myth that literacy is a skill can help you in your work–and what you can do instead. EPISODE TRANSCRIPT It’s health literacy month again, so here’s another look at some literacy myths. If you care about health literacy, I’ll tell you […]

What is the past–and future–of health equity research, theory, practice, and policy? Comments from an oncologist kick off some thinking. I recently had an interesting conversation with an oncologist about health equity and communication. It got me going back and forth in time. I want to share some of what we talked about, in hopes […]

I’ve been reflecting on the stories different people have shared with me about talking with patients. Whether from hospital staff, community health workers, or medical staff, these stories have important things in common. This is some of what I appreciate about you and the complexity of the work you do. So many people now are […]

No, really. There are important differences between the terms “pee-pee” and “urine.” Here’s what they are, and why anyone who cares about patient communication and education should take these differences seriously. EPISODE TRANSCRIPT Aww shucks. It’s happened. I got COVID. And the timing! Last episode we made our big announcement, our new course platform and […]

We have two big announcements: our brand new, dedicated course platform, and a new communication course for anyone who interacts with patients. Learn more about them both! Today’s the day. For months I’ve been saying we have a big announcement to make, and today I finally get to share it with you. Really excited about […]

Dr. Jonas Attilus was recently featured in a STAT News article. Dr. Attilus visited our show last year and talked about humility and power when physicians speak with patients. Hear about the article, and listen to his interview. EPISODE TRANSCRIPT At the start of 2021, we aired my interview with Dr. Jonas Attilus about humility […]

If Women’s Health is on your mind, you’ll want to take this free online course from U.S. Department of Health & Human Services called “Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS) in Maternal Health Care.” I preview it, and show you a cool design trick they embed to make it more accessible – and efficient. The […]