(Download) "Health Literacy: An Explanatory Bibliometric Analysis, 1997-2007 (BRIEF Communications) (Report)" by Journal of the Medical Library Association ~ eBook PDF Kindle ePub Free
eBook details
- Title: Health Literacy: An Explanatory Bibliometric Analysis, 1997-2007 (BRIEF Communications) (Report)
- Author : Journal of the Medical Library Association
- Release Date : January 01, 2009
- Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines,Books,Professional & Technical,Education,
- Pages : * pages
- Size : 197 KB
Description
INTRODUCTION As defined by the American Medical Association Foundation, health literacy is a "patient's ability to obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions and follow instructions for treatment" [1]. The 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL) has identified three types of literacy: prose, document, and quantitative [2]. Prose literacy--the ability to read and comprehend uninterrupted or parenthetical text (patient instructions)--and document literacy--the ability to search, read, and comprehend noncontinuous text (food and drug labels)-both come into play when decoding health information [3]. NAAL research found that approximately 14% of adults in the United States read at the "below basic" prose literacy level and 12% of adults read at the "below basic" document literacy level [4]. The NAAL also added a health literacy section to the 2003 assessment that measured adults' ability to perform health-related reading tasks, such as following doctors' instructions or reading medicine labels. The assessment found that 37% of adults had "basic" or "below basic" health literacy levels and that these scores generally tended to increase with educational levels attained [3].