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Health literacy is the ability to read, understand and effectively use basic medical instructions and information. Low health literacy can affect anyone of any age, ethnicity, background, or education level.
People with low health literacy:
- Are often less likely to comply with prescribed treatment and self-care regimens.
- Fail to seek preventive care and are at higher (more than double) risk for hospitalization.
- Remain in the hospital nearly two days longer than adults with higher health literacy.
- Often require additional care that results in annual health care costs that are four times higher than for those with higher literacy skills.
Chances are high that some of your patients are among the 90 million people in the United States whose health may be at risk because of difficulty in understanding and acting on health information.
In fact, you may not even know that these patients are in your practice because:
- They are often embarrassed or ashamed to admit they have difficulty understanding health information and instructions.
- They are using well-practiced coping mechanisms that effectively mask their problem.
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According to the Institute of Medicine, nearly half of all American adults --90 million people-- have difficulty understanding and using health information. |
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Everyone in the United States is susceptible regardless of age,
race, education or income. |
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Low health literacy costs the health system as much as $58 billion a
year. |
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