You bet it is, said Riffenburgh. The more we expect of patients in terms of taking responsibility for their health care, the more critical it becomes that they understand what we're telling them. The consequences of misunderstanding can easily be life-threatening. Health literacy should not be confused with basic literacy skills, warned Riffenburgh. The two overlap, but health literacy goes further, requiring the ability to read and understand health-related information, she said.
Health literacy includes an overall understanding of how to use the health care system.
We're all illiterate in some areas, Riffenburgh said. She asked the audience to name subjects in which they feel incompetent. Exactly Riffenburgh's point. Someone may be very literate reading Popular Mechanics and have low health literacy. But the risk of overwhelming is much greater than the risk of not giving them what they need to know.