On health literacy and health outcomes: background, impact, and future directions.

This article presents an overview of an emerging area of research called health literacy. It draws attention to the undisputed relationship between literacy levels of the population, the complexity of health systems and health outcomes. Authors believe that instead of focusing on improving individual skills, health institutions and health care settings should concentrate their efforts on making their physical and social environment more accessible and easy to navigate for their users. A more balanced approach to health literacy action includes improving the quality and accessibility of information, professionals' communication skills, and eliminating structural barriers to healthful action.