Health literacy statistics

Health Literacy: Statistics At-A-Glance. The Partnership for Clear Health Communication at the National Patient Safety Foundation. Accessed March 21, 2011. http://www.npsf.org/.

This factsheet contains an overview of health literacy statistics in the United States. Published by the National Patient Safety Foundation, it is not an exhaustive description of low health literacy, but it provides a starting point to understand what it is and how many people it impacts.

Health literacy is defined as the ability to read, act, and understand health materials. Low health literacy cuts across all ages, socioeconomic statuses, and ethnicities, although it disporportionately affects minorities and the elderly.

The factsheet points out that medical noncompliance may be linked to low health literacy. About half of all patients don't take their medication as directed, and people with low literacy skills were 50% more likely to be hospitalized. The factsheet also states that the annual healthcare costs for people with low literacy are approximately four times higher than those with higher literacy skills.

This factsheet contains an 8-item bibliography with more information about low literacy and how it affects health care. The articles listed are mostly from well-known medical journals and healthcare organizations. The factsheet also routes the user back to the National Patient Safety Foundation website. This is a well-regarded organization in the American health care industry, so I feel like I can trust the information they publish. This factsheet would make a good supporting document within a bibliography, although it does not describe how to improve the problem of low health literacy.