Health literacy

Health literacy

Health literacy has been defined as "the ability to read, understand and act upon health information".1

Health literacy is much more than simply ensuring that people can read and understand health information. It is also about building competence to make health decisions. As such, it is relevant to the whole population, not just those with low basic literacy and numeracy skills.

Best Buys

Best buys include personalised health information -- which is most effective when supported by a health professional or lay worker.

Telephone helplines, telephone reminders, and various forms of telecare have been shown to help patients.

There is evidence that better information for patients before a procedure, and before being discharged from hospital, can help prevent long hospital stay and repeat follow-ups.

Download Best Buys health literacy

References

References to the original research studies are given throughout the text in this section.

Roll your cursor over the reference to see a pop-up of the study title and authors. Click the pop-up to go to the full reference on the References page.