Apply the UPL

At the core of the UPL are seven foundational principles and a collection of practical tools that guide the creation of patient communications. Click on a principle below to explore the tools associated with each principle.

There are four principles that are most applicable when planning:

1. Enable Patient
Learning

Equip patients with the knowledge they need to help understand complex topics.

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2. Share Qualified, Quantified Data

Present complete, relevant, and unbiased data in context.

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3. Design for
Digital First

Consider how patients want to navigate and engage with information.

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4. Demonstrate
Empathy for Patients and Caregivers

Acknowledge the experiences of patients and their caregivers and establish an emotional connection.

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The remaining three principles are most applicable when building:

5. Use Plain
Language

Explain complex topics in a straightforward and accurate way.

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6. Communicate
Visually

Visualize complex information to make it more digestible.

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7. Format Materials
for Understanding

Design layouts that are purposeful and can be easily navigated.

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Principles

Principles guide the way we communicate with patients — both when planning communications and when building them.
To learn more, download the complete set of UPL Principles.

Download

Tool Library

If you know the specific UPL tool that you’re looking for, download it below!

Guidance Documents

Guidance Documents contain tips and suggestions for applying the UPL. We created them to help the principles come to life in a more practical and tangible way.

The UPL Rules provide detailed guidance on how each of the Principles can be applied in practice.

Download

The UPL Style Guide offers
detailed guidance on how patient
materials created with UPL
should look and feel.

Download

Thought Starters for Explaining Selected Topics

The Thought Starters outline key challenges and learnings collected from dozens of interactions with patients, caregivers, healthcare providers, and other experts. They are a good starting point if you want to explain a specific complex topic to patients. Thought Starters can be downloaded individually by topic or all at once.

Explaining Biological Processes

Download

Explaining Data

Download

Explaining Clinical Trials

Download

Explaining Health-Related Finances

Download

Explaining Risks and Benefits

Download

Download the Thought
Starters all at once.

Download all

Building Assets

Building Assets can be used directly in your materials. We created them for practitioners to use in their own UPL communications.

The Graphic Assets Library provides a starting collection of visuals that can be reused to support and strengthen patient understanding.

Download

Assessment Tools

Assessment Tools can be used throughout the development of UPL communications. We created them to help people evaluate their communications.

The Reflection Guide provides questions that can be used to self-assess how materials incorporate the UPL and its Principles.

Download

The Patient Impact Measurement Framework provides potential
hypotheses and research
questions to measure how
materials built with UPL affect
patient experience.

Download

Guidance Documents

Guidance Documents contain tips and suggestions for applying the UPL. We created them to help the principles come to life in a more practical and tangible way.

Rules

The UPL Rules provide detailed guidance on how each of the Principles can be applied in practice.

Download

Style Guide

The UPL Style Guide offers detailed guidance on how patient
materials created with UPL
should look and feel.

Download

Download the Thought
Starters all at once.

Download all

Building Assets

Building Assets can be used directly in your materials. We created them for practitioners to use in their own UPL communications.

The Graphic Assets Library provides a starting collection of visuals that can be reused to support and strengthen patient understanding.

Download

Assessment Tools

Assessment Tools can be used throughout the development of UPL communications. We created them to help people evaluate their communications.

The Reflection Guide provides questions that can be used to self-assess how materials incorporate the UPL and its Principles.

Download

The Patient Impact Measurement Framework provides potential
hypotheses and research
questions to measure how
materials built with UPL affect
patient experience.

Download

Readiness Tags

Materials with this tag have been validated extensively, and significant changes will be infrequent.

Materials with this tag still have areas for improvement, and more resources will be added over time.

Materials with this tag contain some early work and may change significantly.

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