Health literacy: improving patient information leaflets

In this PhD project, I would re-write a patient information leaflet (or a patient information webpage) so the instructions in it were significantly easier to understand. Such an information leaflet would likely be targeted at patients with a chronic condition that requires understanding and adherence, for example, a leaflet explaining how to use a diabetes stick pen. Rewriting such a leaflet would draw on my experience writing patient education materials for low literacy adults in the United States, but would also require collaboration and ultimate sign off by medical professionals here in the UK before the new patient information leaflet could be trialled. Working with a hospital or primary care trust or other health agency, I would then trial this more user-friendly patient information leaflet in comparison with the original leaflet, preferably in a random control trial. A successful trial -- e.g. one in which revised PIL led to increased adherence or higher patient satisfaction with the medical service -- would be inherently beneficial and would point to the urgent need for patient information leaflets that took greater account of patients' literacy and numeracy levels. An unsuccessful trial -- e.g. one in which neither adherence nor satisfaction or any other key variable increased -- might point to weaknesses in the revised PIL, or might possibly highlight the complex challenges associated with increasing patient understanding, adherence and satisfaction, potentially highlighting shortcomings of information-centred approaches to improving patient outcomes. That is, it might provide evidence that improved health information does not necessarily improve health behaviours.