Keywords

critical care, health education, health literacy

 

Authors

  1. Riley, Joan B. MS, APRN, BC-FNP
  2. Cloonan, Patricia PhD, RN
  3. Norton, Colleen DNSc, RN, CCRN

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.