Information about two interrelated issues, health information literacy and health literacy are provided; resources helpful to the consumer health librarian are offered as well.

The National Center for Education Statistics, part of the U.S. Department of Education, completed an assessment of overall literacy skills of U.S. adults in 2003. For the first time the report included a section on health literacy focusing on “the ability to use literacy skills to read and understand written health related information.”

Resources compiled by the Medical Library Association about Health Information Literacy for health and information professionals and for consumers.
Annotated by
Jackie Davis, MLIS
Health Librarian
Community Health Library at Cushman Wellness Center
Sharp Memorial Hospital Outpatient Pavilion
Phone: (858) 939-5031
Compiled by
Jackie Davis, MLIS and
Deborah Magnan, MLIS, AHIP
Associate Librarian
Samuel and Sandra Hekemian Medical Library
Hackensack University Medical Center
30 Prospect Ave.
Hackensack, NJ 07601
Phone: (201) 996-2326
July 22, 2010
An annotated compilation of useful websites about health literacy for the librarian. It includes general information about health literacy, videos, and tutorials as well as a selection of easy to read material available online.
Also see Patient Education and Health Literacy: A Webliography

Product of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Report developed includes 7 strategies to improve and implement the goals and to engage and link organizations and agencies to improve health literacy.

An online course – very user friendly with a thorough check-list at the end of the program to help assess the development of new materials.