What is Health Literacy?
Health Literacy refers to an individual’s ability to find, understand, and use information and services to inform decisions about their healthcare. A health-literate patient is one who can make well-informed choices about their health and can use health information as a tool.
Why is Health Literacy important?
Having good health literacy skills allows patients to be in charge of their health care and advocate for themselves. Patients can communicate effectively with their providers and other healthcare professionals, and decide which providers, services and treatment plans best fit their needs. Strong health literacy helps patients make decisions about their treatment and allows them to better analyze the benefits and risks associated with their healthcare plan.
How can I improve my Health Literacy?
- Have a plan for your visit. To maximize your time with your provider, it is helpful for patients to come to their visit with an agenda. Prioritize what you want to learn and talk with your provider about before you go.
- Ask questions. If anything is unclear during your visit, always ask for clarity! Never be afraid to ask your provider to explain something you don’t understand. Your provider is there to help you.
- Bring a friend or family member. Having a friend or family member accompany you on your visit is a useful strategy. This person can take notes during your visit so that you can concentrate on simply listening and asking questions.
- Use the expertise of others. For example, if you are receiving specialty care, your primary care provider can be a helpful resource. You can ask them to explain your test results or explain medical terminology you may be having difficulty grasping.
- Request an interpreter in advance. If a language barrier exists between you and your provider, asking for an interpreter in advance of your visit will help you understand everything clearly and make your visit run smoothly.
- Be a careful media consumer. The wealth of health information available on TV, radio, websites and social media allows patients to access health resources quickly and easily. However, there is a risk that this information could be incomplete, conflicting, or inaccurate. For this reason, it is important that patients vet the sources and information that they find with their provider before making any treatment decisions.
- Provide feedback. Patients may have opportunities to share their thoughts on how practices can improve their health literacy efforts. This could take the shape of a patient survey, online feedback prompts, or focus groups. Your voice plays a valuable part in helping practices better meet the needs of their patients. Take advantage of opportunities to share your thoughts.
Health Literacy Resources from NIH and Other Agencies
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (OASH)
U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM)
NLM's MedlinePlus
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)
The Indian Health Service
