Health literacy and numeracy : workshop summary

Although Health Literacy Is Commonly Defined As An Individual Trait, It Does Not Depend On The Skills Of Individuals Alone. Health Literacy Is The Product Of The Interaction Between Individuals' Capacities And The Health Literacy-related Demands And Complexities Of The Health Care System. Specifically, The Ability To Understand, Evaluate, And Use Numbers Is Important To Making Informed Health Care Choices. Health Literacy And Numeracy Is The Summary Of A Workshop Convened By The Institute Of Medicine Roundtable On Health Literacy In July 2013 To Discuss Topics Related To Numeracy, Including The Effects Of Ill Health On Cognitive Capacity, Issues With Communication Of Health Information To The Public, And Communicating Numeric Information For Decision Making. This Report Includes A Paper Commissioned By The Roundtable, Numeracy And The Affordable Care Act: Opportunities And Challenges, That Discusses Research Findings About People's Numeracy Skill Levels; The Kinds Of Numeracy Skills That Are Needed To Select A Health Plan, Choose Treatments, And Understand Medication Instructions; And How Providers Should Communicate With Those With Low Numeracy Skills. The Paper Was Featured In The Workshop And Served As The Basis Of Discussion. Melissa G. French, Rapporteur; Roundtable On Health Literacy, Board On Population Health And Public Health Practice, Institute Of Medicine Of The National Academies. Title From Pdf T.p. Includes Bibliographical References. Also Available In Print (xvi, 148 Pages) This Activity Was Supported By Contracts Between The National Academy Of Sciences And The Agency For Healthcare Research And Quality (hhsp233200900537p); The American College Of Physicians Foundation; America's Health Insurance Plans; The California Dental Association; The East Bay Community Foundation (kaiser Permanente); Eli Lilly And Company; The Health Resources And Services Administration (hhsh25034004t); Humana; Johnson And Johnson; Merck And Company, Incorporated; The North Shore-long Island Jewish Health System; The Office Of Disease Prevention And Health Promotion; And The Unitedhealth Group. The Views Presented In This Publication Are Those Of The Rapporteur And Do Not Necessarily Reflect The Views Of The Organizations Or Agencies That Provided Support For The Activity. Mode Of Access: World Wide Web.

Although health literacy is commonly defined as an individual trait, it does not depend on the skills of individuals alone. Health literacy is the product of the interaction between individuals' capacities and the health literacy-related demands and complexities of the health care system. Specifically, the ability to understand, evaluate, and use numbers is important to making informed health care choices.

Health Literacy and Numeracy is the summary of a workshop convened by The Institute of Medicine Roundtable on Health Literacy in July 2013 to discuss topics related to numeracy, including the effects of ill health on cognitive capacity, issues with communication of health information to the public, and communicating numeric information for decision making. This report includes a paper commissioned by the Roundtable, "Numeracy and the Affordable Care Act: Opportunities and Challenges," that discusses research findings about people's numeracy skill levels; the kinds of numeracy skills that are needed to select a health plan, choose treatments, and understand medication instructions; and how providers should communicate with those with low numeracy skills. The paper was featured in the workshop and served as the basis of discussion.