Improving Americans' Health Literacy

Abstract

Health literacy — commonly defined as the skills and abilities needed to gain access to, understand, and use health-related information — has emerged as an important priority for the United States. It has been linked to health outcomes and is considered critical for the success of health care reform. The recently released National Action Plan to Improve Health Literacy 1 provides strategies for change.At first blush, this task may seem to be the domain of educators, but the new action plan shifts the spotlight from the literacy skills of the public to the activities of health systems and health care . . .