The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of health literate communication. Health literacy empowers patients to be able to obtain and understand their healthcare information, and is particularly important when communicating with those with limited health literacy who also experience more serious medication errors, higher rates of hospitalization, poor health outcomes, and increased mortality. These publications support the development, implementation and sharing of evidence-based health literacy practices and policies. All are free to download.
Developing Health Literacy Skills in Children and Youth: Proceedings of a Workshop
Young people develop health literacy skills in a variety of environments, facing critical thinking challenges about their health from school, home and family life, peers and social life, and online. To explore the development of health literacy skills in youth, the Roundtable on Health Literacy …[more]
The Intersection of Behavioral Health, Mental Health, and Health Literacy: Proceedings of a Workshop
The field of health literacy has evolved from early efforts that focused on individuals to its current recognition that health literacy is a multidimensional team and system function. Health literacy includes system demands and complexities as well as individual skills and abilities. While …[more]
Health Literacy and Older Adults: Reshaping the Landscape: Proceedings of a Workshop
Adults age 65 and older make up the fastest-growing segment of the U.S. population. At the same time, the complexity of health care delivery continues to grow, creating challenges that are magnified for older adults, given that age is one of the highest correlates of low health literacy. This …[more]
Building the Case for Health Literacy: Proceedings of a Workshop
The field of health literacy has evolved from one focused on individuals to one that recognizes that health literacy is multidimensional. While communicating in a health literate manner is important for everyone, it is particularly important when communicating with those with limited health …[more]
Health Literacy and Consumer-Facing Technology: Workshop Summary
The proliferation of consumer-facing technology and personal health information technology has grown steadily over the past decade, and has certainly exploded over the past several years. Many people have embraced smartphones and wearable health-monitoring devices to track their fitness and …[more]
Integrating Health Literacy, Cultural Competence, and Language Access Services: Workshop Summary
The aging and evolving racial and ethnic composition of the U.S. population has the United States in the midst of a profound demographic shift and health care organizations face many issues as they move to address and adapt to this change. In their drive to adequately serve increasingly diverse …[more]
Health Literacy: Past, Present, and Future: Workshop Summary
In 2004, the Institute of Medicine released Health Literacy: A Prescription to End Confusion, a report on the then-underappreciated challenge of enabling patients to comprehend their condition and treatment, to make the best decisions for their care, and to take the right medications at …[more]
Informed Consent and Health Literacy: Workshop Summary
Informed consent – the process of communication between a patient or research subject and a physician or researcher that results in the explicit agreement to undergo a specific medical intervention – is an ethical concept based on the principle that all patients and research subjects should …[more]
Health Literacy and Numeracy: Workshop Summary
Although health literacy is commonly defined as an individual trait, it does not depend on the skills of individuals alone. Health literacy is the product of the interaction between individuals’ capacities and the health literacy-related demands and complexities of the health care system. …[more]
To receive the greatest value for health care, it is important to focus on issues of quality and disparity, and the ability of individuals to make appropriate decisions based on basic health knowledge and services. The Forum on the Science of Health Care Quality Improvement and Implementation, …[more]
Health Literacy: A Prescription to End Confusion
To maintain their own health and the health of their families and communities, consumers rely heavily on the health information that is available to them. This information is at the core of the partnerships that patients and their families forge with today’s complex modern health systems. …[more]
