Health Literacy Month :: What is Health Literacy ?

What is health literacy?

Westminster Clinic

Health literacy measures your ability to obtain,

process and understand basic health information…

…and then use that information

to make informed and appropriate healthcare decisions.

Because of poor health literacy….

50% OF PATIENTS

leave their doctor appointments not knowing what they were told or what they are supposed to do.

Poor health literacy is linked to 100,000 deaths every year.

People with poor health literacy skills are more likely to:

Report their health as poor.

Visit an emergency room.

Spend more for their healthcare.

Have chronic conditions and not know how to manage them.

What you can do:

There are several simple steps you can take to improve your health literacy, including:

At the doctor’s office, ask questions if something is not clear, or if you don’t understand.

Repeat care instructions back to the doctor, nurse or pharmacist.

When leaving the doctor’s office or other healthcare facility, ask for written instructions.

Bring a friend or family member to appointments:

Two pairs of ears are better than one. Your friend or family member may catch something you’ve missed.

Educate yourself. Resources like the free healthcare app iTriage can help you learn about conditions, procedures and medications.