Health literacy
- Concept
It is the ability to find, understand and use health information; when it is low, there are more medicine errors and worse outcomes.
What it is
Personal health literacy is the degree to which a person can find, understand and use information and services to make health decisions for themselves and others. Organizational health literacy is the responsibility of institutions to make that possible, equitably. It covers reading, simple calculation (numeracy), understanding the health system and talking with clinicians. A highly educated person can have low health literacy when ill, frightened or faced with new terms.
Key facts
- Suggestive signs: incomplete forms, ‘I forgot my glasses’, missed appointments, being unable to name or explain their medicines.
- There are brief screening questions (for example, how confident the person is filling in medical forms alone) and word-recognition or reading-comprehension tests.
- Factors that lower it: older age, lower income, a different first language, physical or mental disability and little familiarity with the health system.
- It overlaps with the groups facing health inequities, so it is also an equity issue.
Clear-communication strategies
| Strategy | Example |
|---|---|
| Plain language | ‘High blood pressure’ instead of ‘hypertension’; ‘kidney’ instead of ‘renal’ |
| Few key messages | Two or three points per visit, the most important first |
| Visual support | Drawings, models, a medicine schedule with sun and moon symbols |
| Understandable numbers | ‘Of every 100 people like you, 3 have this effect’ |
| Teach-back | ‘Tell me how you will take this medicine at home’ |
| Show-me | The patient demonstrates how they use the inhaler or the insulin pen |
| Adapted materials | Short sentences, large print, in the patient's language |
Clinical notes
- In diabetes and hypertension, low health literacy makes self-care harder; a written plan and teach-back help.
- Shame is common: many patients do not say they did not understand, so ask ‘What questions do you have?’ rather than ‘Do you have any questions?’.
Test yourself
Think of the answer, then tap the question to see it.
What are universal precautions in health literacy?
Communicating with every patient as if they might have trouble understanding, because it cannot be told from schooling or appearance.
Why say ‘3 in 100’ rather than a relative percentage?
Natural frequencies and absolute risk are easier to understand and do not exaggerate the effect, as relative risk does.
How do teach-back and show-me differ?
In teach-back the patient explains in their own words; in show-me they demonstrate a practical skill, such as using an inhaler.
What two dimensions does the current definition of health literacy have?
Personal, the person's ability to find, understand and use information; and organizational, the institutions' responsibility to make that possible.
Elsewhere in DurgiPedia
Connections
Educational content on behavior and the clinical relationship; not a diagnostic or treatment guide and no substitute for assessment by a health professional. If you or someone near you is at risk, seek help now from an emergency service or a mental-health helpline.
Sources: What Is Health Literacy? | Health Literacy | CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (US), 2024); Health Literacy: MedlinePlus (National Library of Medicine (US), 2025).
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Representative model, for educational purposes only.