Health Sciences Library Guides: Health Literacy: Clinician's Role

Understanding Health Literacy

As part of Healthy People 2030, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) divided health literacy into:

Personal health literacy
Organizational health literacy

Personal healthy literacy is "the degree to which individuals have the ability to find, understand, and use information and services to inform health-related decisions and actions for themselves and others" (What is Health Literacy? (2020, September 17). Retrieved September 30, 2020, from https://www.cdc.gov/healthliteracy/learn/index.html). Whereas, organizational healthy literacy focuses on equitably enabling the individual.

Clinicians have a role to play as individuals and as part of various organizations.

Use Healthy People 2030 in Your Work

Toolkit for Clinicians

Health Literacy Universal Precautions Toolkit, 2nd Edition
From the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, this toolkit covers Tools to Start on the Path to Improvement, Tools to Improve Spoken Communication, Tools to Improve Written Communication, Tools to Improve Self-Management and Empowerment, and Tools to Improve Supportive Systems.
Teach-Back Method (AHRQ)
Description of the Teach-Back method and videos. Part of the AHRQ Health Literacy Universal Precautions Toolkit.
Ask Me 3 (IHI)
From the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, Ask Me 3 encourages questions from patients and was designed by health literacy experts,

Talk to Us

We work with faculty and students in clinical or classroom settings to improve health literacy training, simulations, and patient experience. Talk with our experts to learn more.