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Knowledge for Healthcare

Health Literacy: an issue for life

To make good decisions about our health, we need to find, understand, appraise and apply health information.  This is the essence of good health literacy.  [Last checked: 19/12/19]

Toolkits

Health Literacy Toolkit

Ensuring that individuals and communities can access, understand, appraise and use information and services to make decisions about health is key to health literacy. Improving people’s health literacy will enhance their ability to self-manage their health.

In partnership with PHE, NHS England and Community Health and Learning Foundation, we have developed a curated collection of health literacy tools for practitioners looking for resources and information. [Last checked: 19/12/19]

Websites

Health Literacy (Society for Academic Primary Care)

Health Literacy UK is a special interest group of the Society for Academic Primary Care. We’re primarily dedicated to building the evidence base for health literacy. We explore the impact of health literacy on people and their lives in order to support national policy and reduce inequalities.

By working together, we are able to discuss and develop new research ideas, run new research projects, write reports and research papers, and support the implementation of research findings into practice. [Last checked: 19/12/19]

The Literacy Place (NHS Education for Scotland)

This website is the main source of health information and resources in Scotland. The site provides a resource to share existing evidence, good practice, techniques and tools for practice. [Last checked: 19/12/19]

Local Action on Health Inequalities: Improving Health Literacy (Department of Health)

Guidance from the Department of Health. Comprehensive information on what is meant by health literacy, how it impacts on public health and methods of improvement. [Last checked: 19/12/19]

NHS.UK: Behind the Headlines News

Your guide to the science that makes the news. Designed to help patients make sense of health media stories. [Last checked: 19/12/19]

National Library of Medicine: Health Literacy

National Library of Medicine resource. Includes definitions of health literacy and links to further resources. [Last checked: 19/12/19]

Royal College of General Practitioners: Health Literacy Report 2014

Report based on a workshop, good overview of topic, good practice and actions required. [Last checked: 19/12/19]