ATHOS - Health Literacy

Define health literacy as the capacity to obtain, process, and understand basic health information to make informed decisions, and highlight its impact on preventive care, costs, and patient communication.

Identify those at risk for low health literacy, including elders, with low socioeconomic status, and English as a second language, and emphasize responsibility to communicate clearly, per national assessment findings.

Identify barriers to health literacy—reading and math limitations, medical jargon, stress, culture—and spot red flags such as missed appointments or inability to name medications or read labels.

Apply strategies to improve health literacy by using plain language, teach-back, pictures, and open-ended questions, while using interpreters and cultural sensitivity in communication to ensure understanding.

Improve patient health literacy by using ask me three and the teach-back method to enhance understanding and adherence, using universal precautions, plain language, and visuals.

Apply the teach-back show-me method to confirm patient understanding of the care plan, instructions, and inhaler use, while documenting and avoiding patronizing approaches that hinder engagement.

Learn how nonverbal communication enhances health literacy through clear written documents, signage, maps, and websites; apply plain language and readability targets for diverse patients.