Essential Health Literacy Tools via HRSA

Health Literacy

Health Resources and Services Administration

Essential Health Literacy Tools

Health literacy is the degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, process and understand basic health information needed to make appropriate health decisions.

Low health literacy is more prevalent among:

Older adults

Minority populations

Those who have low socioeconomic status

Medically underserved people

Patients with low health literacy may have difficulty:

Locating providers and services

Filling out complex health forms

Sharing their medical history with providers

Seeking preventive health care

Knowing the connection between risky behaviors and health

Managing chronic health conditions

Understanding directions on medicine

Health Literacy is especially important to HRSA and the people we serve. It is a common thread through all HRSA's programs from HIV/AIDS, to maternal and child health, to rural health, to organ transplantation. A large portion of the people HRSA serves are poor and medically underserved, who need help understanding and navigating a complex health care system. They require culturally competent providers who speak their language in order to make informed health care choices.

A number of patients may be confused with certain medical language, have difficulty understanding English, struggle with filling out forms, or have limited access to health providers in their community. With the proper training, health care professionals can identify patients' specific health literacy levels and make simple communication adjustments.

Patients’ health literacy may be affected if they have:

Health care providers who use words that patients don’t understand

Low educational skills

Cultural barriers to health care

Limited English Proficiency (LEP)

How health care professionals can help:

●Identify patients with limited literacy levels

●Use simple language, short sentences and define technical terms

●Supplement instruction with appropriate materials (videos, models, pictures, etc.)

●Ask patients to explain your instructions (teach back method) or demonstrate the procedure

●Ask questions that begin with “how” and “what,” rather than closed-ended yes/no questions

●Organize information so that most important points stand out and repeat this information

●Reflect the age, cultural, ethnic and racial diversity of patients

●For Limited English Proficiency (LEP) patients, provide information in primary language

●Improve the physical environment by using lots of universal symbols

●Offer assistance with completing forms

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