For nurses and nursing students
Where In Their Corner began.
Before it was an ICU guide, In Their Corner was a plan for free nursing resources in plain words. These five tools carry on that first goal.
For nurses and nursing students
Before it was an ICU guide, In Their Corner was a plan for free nursing resources in plain words. These five tools carry on that first goal.
October 6, 2024
During her sophomore year, Caroline Woram visited a nursing home with CROSS, her school’s faith and service club. A resident there had been handed medical papers she could not follow, so Caroline sat with her for about four hours and explained every page.
Afterward, she started planning a free website that would put nursing and health information into plain words. That plan became In Their Corner, which later turned toward ICU families after her brother’s accident.
The reasons
Only 12% of U.S. adults have proficient health literacy, according to the National Assessment of Adult Literacy.
The AMA and NIH recommend patient materials at a sixth-grade reading level or lower. Many studies find real materials written well above that.
Nursing textbooks alone can cost a student $500 to $900 per semester, according to OpenStax at Rice University.
Caroline spent about four hours walking one resident through her papers. A plain version could save that time for patients and nurses alike.
Tool · Plain-Language Word Swaps
Common chart words and the plain words a patient is more likely to understand.
| Instead of | Try saying |
|---|---|
| Hypertension | High blood pressure |
| Hypoglycemia | Low blood sugar |
| Edema | Swelling |
| Febrile | Has a fever |
| Ambulate | Walk |
| Bilateral | On both sides |
| Benign | Not cancer |
| NPO | Nothing to eat or drink |
| PRN | Only when needed |
| Contraindicated | Should not be used |
Tool · The Teach-Back Method
Teach-back is a simple way to make sure a patient understood what they were told. It works best one idea at a time.
Use plain words and cover a single point before moving on.
Ask the patient to explain it in their own words. Say you want to make sure you explained it well.
Clear up anything they missed, then ask them to try again.
Leave the key points on paper they can take home.
Tool · Normal Adult Vital Signs
Typical resting ranges for healthy adults. A care team may set different targets for a particular patient.
| Vital sign | Typical adult range |
|---|---|
| Heart rate | 60 to 100 beats per minute |
| Breathing rate | 12 to 20 breaths per minute |
| Blood pressure | Below 120/80 mmHg is considered normal |
| Oxygen saturation | 95% to 100% |
| Temperature | About 97°F to 99°F (36.1°C to 37.2°C) |
Tool · SBAR Handoff
SBAR keeps a report short and clear when a patient passes to the next nurse or doctor.
What is happening right now, in one sentence.
The history that matters, such as the reason for admission.
What you think is going on, based on what you see.
What you need from the next person, and by when.
Tool · Free Nursing Textbooks
Two academic projects publish full nursing textbooks online for free. Both are written and reviewed by nursing faculty.
Rice University’s OpenStax publishes eight free nursing textbooks, from fundamentals to pharmacology.
Browse OpenStax NursingFree nursing textbooks led by Chippewa Valley Technical College, including Nursing Fundamentals and Nursing Pharmacology.
Read Nursing FundamentalsThese tools are for learning. Always follow your facility’s policies and your instructors.
The same plain-language approach now powers a free guide for families of ICU patients.
See the ICU guide