Virginia Mason Medical Center, Seattle, WAThe “Silent” Disparity - Health Literacy: Enhancing Provider Awareness

Background: Health literacy is an essential concept in patient-centered medical care. It represents the combination of literacy skills and the ability to understand, process, and engage in healthcare to further one9s own health and provide a sense of patient autonomy. Deficiency in this skill is a common problem, and the Institute of Medicine estimates that half the adult population in the United States, approximately 90 million people, have...