Health Literacy: Speak Plain Language: Reports & Research

Summary of a workshop that explored the current status of communication technology, the challenges for its use in populations with low health literacy, and the strategies for increasing the benefit of these technologies for populations with low health literacy.

Summary of a workshop featuring presentations and discussions about health literacy interventions from various countries as well as other topics related to international health literacy.

Summary of a workshop to discuss topics related to numeracy, including the effects of ill health on cognitive capacity, issues with communication of health information to the public, and communicating numeric information for decision making.

Summary of a workshop to discuss the growing recognition that health literacy depends not only on individual skills and abilities but also on the demands and complexities of the health care system.

Summarizes the presentations and discussions regarding what occurred throughout the workshop, highlighting the lessons presented, practical strategies, and needs and opportunities for improving discharge instructions.

Summary of a workshop held to discuss the FDA’s Safe Use Initiative and other efforts to improve drug labeling and safety.

Summary of a workshop where speakers and participants explored how equity in care delivered and a focus on patients could be improved.

An issue brief from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2008.

Reflects emerging concepts on patient safety and is subject to change.

First release of the National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL) health literacy results.

Objective is to update a 2004 systematic review of health care service use and health outcomes related to differences in health literacy level and interventions designed to improve these outcomes for individuals with low health literacy.

Contains a comprehensive synthesis of the key lessons learned by providers that adopted Safe Practice 10, as identified in Safe Practices 2003. Safe Practices 2003 has been superseded twice: first by Safe Practices 2006 and more recently by Safe Practices 2009.

Seeks to further illuminate the relationship between literacy and health using data from large-scale surveys of adult literacy conducted by ETS for the U.S. Department of Education.

Seeks to engage organizations, professionals, policymakers, communities, individuals, and families in a linked, multi-sector effort to improve health literacy.

Describes 10 attributes of health care organizations that make it easier for people to navigate, understand, and use information and services to take care of their health.

Contains specific recommendations for improving provider–patient communication, in order to ameliorate the problem of low health literacy as much as possible.