SECTION 1 - BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Our nation’s health literacy epidemic
Half of American adults (~ 93 million people) have "low health literacy"
(Institute of Medicine, Health Literacy: A prescription to end confusion, 2004)
Widespread communication gaps - most people have had trouble:
- Remembering “doctor’s orders”
- Understanding treatment choices
- Taking medicine correctly
- Wayfinding in a clinic or hospital
- Reading a consent form
Effects on health outcomes and costs