HEALTH LITERACY

What does this all mean? One of the goals of our new website is to present information in a manner that is easy to understand. We understand that terminology that is easily understood by a healthcare professional may be confusing to our patients and other website readers.

This Health Literacy section was developed to help you decipher health information that might be presented in a complex manner. Health literacy includes the ability to understand things like instructions on prescription drug bottles, medical education brochures, doctor's directions, consent forms, medical statistics and data and the ability to negotiate complex health care systems.

Health literacy is not simply the ability to read, but it is also the degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions.

Within this section you will find:

• A-Z Library » tools to help you better understand healthcare information, including, how to interpret medical data.
• Good Quality Health Care » Know when you are getting good quailty health care.
• ASK ME 3™ » The three most important questions to ask your physician.