health literacy

Syllable breakdown

Dictionary meaning

the degree to which individuals can obtain, process, and understand the basic health information and services they need to make appropriate health decisions; health literacy encompasses the ability to read prescription labels and appointment letters, navigate health system bureaucracy, understand probabilistic health risk information, and evaluate the credibility of health claims in media and online environments; low health literacy is strongly associated with worse health outcomes, higher rates of hospitalisation and emergency care use, and reduced ability to manage chronic conditions; it is increasingly recognised as a property not only of individuals but of health systems, which can be designed to be more or less legible to those they serve