title: Low health literacy: a challenge to critical care.
abstract: Health literacy-"the degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions"-has been identified as a cross-cutting quality-of-care issue by the Institute of Medicine. This article defines the scope of the health literacy problem, discusses the literacy demands of critical care, and offers strategies for nurses to improve the quality of health communication with patients and families in the critical care environment.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Professional Nursing, School of Nursing and Health Studies, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, USA. rileyj@georgetown.edu
authors.forename: Joan B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Riley
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Cloonan
authors.forename: Colleen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Norton
mesh_terms: D001294:Attitude to Health; D003142:Communication; D003422:Critical Care / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000523:psychology; D004522:Educational Status; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D040361:Healthy People Programs; D006801:Humans; D007857:Leadership; D024802:Nurse's Role / Q000523:psychology; D009723:Nurse-Patient Relations; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000458:organization & administration*; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration