Improving Health Information Literacy   Tags: assessment, blogs, cultural competence, databases, easy-to-read, evidence-based practice, funding, health disparities, health information literacy, health literacy, informed consent, legislation, patient care, readability, research, teaching, tutorials  

This Guide was developed to provide links to resources and services available from local, regional, national sources.     The issues of health literacy will minimally covered just a decade ago.     Now many private, collaboritive and governmental organizations are addressing the needs of our citizens.

According to USA Institute of Medicine "Nearly half of all American adults - 90 million people - have difficulty understanding and using health information, and there is a higher rate of hospitalization and use of emergency services among patients with limited health literacy."

The National Library of Medicine says this to consumers "Health literacy is the ability to understand health information and to use that information to make good decisions about your health and medical care. Health information can overwhelm even people with advanced literacy skills. About one third of the adult population in the United States has limited health literacy. Limited health literacy can affect your ability to: Fill out complex forms Locate providers and services Share personal information such as health history Take care of yourself Manage a chronic disease Understand how to take medicines".  

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"Quality information is essential for improved health." (MLA - Medical Library Association)

Health literacy is defined, in Healthy People 2010 and reaffirmed in the 2020 edition, as "the degree to which people can obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services they need to make appropriate health decisions." Health literacy is also about exchanging healthcare information.   It is reading and writing, but also how people communicate about health through speaking, drawing pictures, and using technology.    Health Literacy issues can also be caused by sensory, developmental or intellectual disabilities.

Working Definition of Health Information Literacy (Medical Library Association):

"Health Information Literacy is the set of abilities needed to: recognize a health information need; identify likely information sources and use them to retrieve relevant information; assess the quality of the information and its applicability to a specific situation; and analyze, understand, and use the information to make good health decisions."   [July 23, 2003]

NOTE:  E-books may only be available to Nebraska Methodist College students, faculty and staff & Methodist Health System physicians and employees.

Advancing Health Literacy: A Framework for Understanding and Action - Zarcadoolas, C., Pleasant, A. & Greer, D. (2006).

Health Literacy, eHealth, and Communication - Roundtable on Health Literacy (Author), Institute of Medicine (Author), Lyla M. Hernandez (Editor)

ISBN: 0309126428

National Academies Press; (2009) This text explores the current status of communication technology and challenges for use in populations with low health literacy.

Helping Patients Understand Risks: 7 Simple Strategies for Successful Communication - Paling, J. (2006).

(2nd ed.). Gainesville, FL: The Risk Communications Institute.

The Medical Library Association Guide to Health Literacy - Kars, Marge, Lynda M. Baker and Feleta L. Wilson

ISBN: 9781555706258

Published by the Medical Library Association; Chicago, IL An introduction and components of health literacy plus needs of special populations. Addresses low literacy and learning strategies for older adults.

The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down - Fadiman, A. (2002)

Call Number: WA 300 F145S 1998

New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux.This novel about a Hmong family's experience with the U.S. health care system is a"literary "poster child" for health literacy and cultural competency concerns."

Teaching Patients With Low Literacy Skills - 1996 - Doak, Doak, & Root

ISBN: 0-397-55161-4

Is considered a classic text in health literacy. It covers a wide range of topics, including educational theories, tests for literacy skills, assessments of the suitability of materials, as well as discussion and examples of understandable visuals. The book includes directions for using the Fry formula, the REALM assessment tool, and Suitability Assessment of Materials (SAM).

Understanding Health Literacy: Implications for Medicine and Public Health - Schwartzberg, J. G., VanGeest, J. B., & Wang, C. C. (2004)

Chicago: American Medical Association.

NOTE:  Most databases, linked here, are only available to Nebraska Methodist College students, faculty and staff & Methodist Health System physicians and employees.    If accessing databases from outside of the Nebraska Methodist College - Josie Harper Campus, you will be required to sign in with your network ID and password through EZPROXY.

NOTE:  "Health Literacy" is a MeSH Subject Heading beginning in 2010 for the PSYCInfo database.

Permission to use content from LibGuide on Health Literacy, granted by: Adrianne Leonardelli, MLIS; Information and Education Services Librarian; Duke University Medical Center Library; 919-660-1120; 

Permission to use content from LibGuide on Health Literacy Resources, granted by:  Paula Raimondo, MLS, AHIP; Health Sciences and Human Services Library University of Maryland, Baltimore;410-706-8875

GENERAL RESOURCES

In support of the information needs of its users, John Moritz Library provides links to resources maintained by other information providers. While we make every reasonable effort to post to active and operational links, we cannot guarantee their currency or the accuracy of the data itself. Users should properly evaluate Internet resources according to their academic and research needs. If you discover an obsolete link, please report it to John Moritz Library staff in person, by phone (402) 354-7251, or by e-mail library@methodistcollege.edu