It’s not just what you say—it’s what they understand.
In an era when health systems are laser-focused on outcomes, experience and equity, one of the most overlooked drivers of success remains the simplest: understanding.
Nearly 9 in 10 adults in the U.S. struggle to understand and use everyday health information (CHCS). From interpreting prescriptions to navigating insurance, this gap in comprehension impacts everything from preventive care to chronic disease management. According to BMC Health Services Research, patients with limited health literacy are nearly three times more likely to return to the emergency room within 90 days of discharge. These communication breakdowns aren’t just frustrating. They’re expensive and dangerous—certainly for patients, but also for healthcare organizations.
In short, health literacy isn’t just a clinical concern. It’s a marketing and communications priority.
Health literacy isn’t as simple as a brochure anymore
For decades, addressing health literacy was treated like someone else’s job—something handled downstream with a brochure or a patient portal login. But as the healthcare landscape becomes more consumer-centric, that mindset no longer works.
Today, low health literacy is one of the most persistent and preventable barriers to patient engagement.
Its impact stretches across the system:
- Patients misunderstand treatment plans, leading to unnecessary hospital visits, missed medications and poor follow-through.
- Trust erodes when people feel overwhelmed by medical language, lowering satisfaction scores and brand loyalty.
- Health disparities deepen, especially among patients facing cultural, language or access barriers.
This isn’t a niche problem. It’s a system-wide issue, and marketers are in a prime position to solve it.
Precision is good, but people come first
Healthcare communication often favors accuracy over empathy. It’s loaded with terminology, legal disclaimers and clinical structure. But when patients are scared, stressed or sick, they aren’t processing like rational consumers. They’re overwhelmed humans.
Emotional context matters just as much as factual correctness.
Strategic health literacy efforts:
- Use plain language without sounding patronizing
- Consider the emotions and mindset of the reader
- Reflect diverse backgrounds and lived experiences
- Prioritize visual design and readability across channels
This isn’t about watering down content. It’s about making it work for the people it’s meant to help.
Stop drowning people in info and start guiding them
Whether someone is scheduling a mammogram, managing diabetes or facing a tough diagnosis, they’re navigating more than medical data. They’re dealing with anxiety, decision fatigue and emotional overload.
Every message—digital, printed, scripted—is a chance to either empower or confuse.
The organizations leading in this space treat health literacy as a shared, cross-functional responsibility. They embed it across:
- Creative teams to simplify copy and visuals
- UX and digital teams to improve navigation and mobile accessibility
- Clinical and care teams to reinforce messages consistently
- Leadership to prioritize it as part of patient experience strategy
This approach builds confidence and clarity into every step of the patient journey.
Want patient loyalty and trust? Start with understanding.
When healthcare content is designed for humans first, it doesn’t just inform. It inspires action. Organizations that lead with clarity:
- Use readable, accessible content
- Tailor messages to each stage in the patient’s journey
- Show compassion and cultural awareness
- Design for action, not just awareness
This isn’t just good communication. It’s smart strategy that builds business. Patients who understand communication will follow through to the next step in their care journey. When they feel seen, they stay engaged with their healthcare provider.
A framework for messaging that feels as good as it works
At JPL, we partner with health organizations that are relentless in their quest to improve communication. That’s why we created the Empathy Translation Framework, a practical tool that helps turn complex, technical language into content that actually resonates.
It’s grounded in three guiding questions:
- What does your audience need to know?
- What are they feeling in this moment?
- How can you communicate in a way that addresses both?
This framework helps teams craft messages that speak to the head and the heart. When patients feel understood, they’re more likely to act and stick with their care.
Addressing health literacy is the smartest move you’re not making
We can’t control every factor in a person’s health journey. But we can control how the brand shows up.
- We can choose clarity over complexity.
- We can make space for emotion and nuance.
- And we can create content that empowers instead of overwhelms.
Health literacy isn’t a formality. It’s a force multiplier. The organizations that embrace it aren’t just easier to understand. They’re easier to trust.
