Putting the spotlight on health literacy to improve quality care.

A recent survey from the American Medical Association Foundation found that the issue of health literacy is just a blip on many physicians' radar screens. However, this problem is beginning to receive greater attention because of its magnitude: An estimated 90 million adult Americans face challenges in understanding basic, common instructions given to them by their physicians. Related to low health literacy is the potential impact on patient outcomes, which could mean additional healthcare costs of up to $73 billion annually. This issue of The Quality Letter for Healthcare Leaders looks at how health literacy is defined and what can be done to improve communication among providers and patients from all walks of life to promote quality healthcare.