• Books and Bibliographies
• Reports and Statistics
• Web Portals, Blogs and Discussion Lists
• Health Literacy Conferences
• Health Literacy Videos and Podcasts
• Health Literacy Online Training Resources

Reports


Category: General

• Communicating Risks and Benefits: An Evidence-Based User's Guide (2011)
  U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
  http://www.fda.gov/AboutFDA/ReportsManualsForms/Reports/ucm268078.htm

• Finding Health and Wellness @ the Library: A Consumer Health Toolkit for Library Staff (2010)
  The California State Library and the National Network of Libraries of Medicine (Pacific Southwest Region).
  www.library.ca.gov/lds/docs/HealthToolkit.pdf

• Focus on Basics: Health and Literacy Partnerships (2008)
  World Education, Inc.
  http://www.ncsall.net/fileadmin/resources/fob/2008/fob_9b.pdf

• The Health Literacy Environment of Hospitals and Health Centers: Making Your Healthcare Facility Literacy-Friendly (2006)
  Harvard School of Public Health.
  http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/healthliteracy/files/healthliteracyenvironment.pdf

• Health Literacy Practices in Primary Care Settings: Examples from the Field (2008)
  The Commonwealth Fund and Kaiser Permanente.
  http://www.commonwealthfund.org/~/media/Files/Publications/Fund%20Report/2008/Jan/Health%20Literacy
  %20Practices%20in%20Primary%20Care%20Settings%20%20Examples%20From%20the%20Field/
  Barrett_hltliteracypracticesprimarycaresettingsexamplesfield_1093%20pdf.pdf

• Improving the Health Literacy of Hospitals: A Collaborative Guide for Literacy Organizations (2010)
  Health Literacy Wisconsin.
  http://www.healthliteracywisconsin.org/attachment/resources/206/paragraphs.0.pdf

• Observations and Recommendations to Create a Positive Health Literacy Environment at the University Hospital (2009)
  The University Hospital, University of Medicine and Dentistry New Jersey.
  http://mediacenter.umdnj.edu/LiteracyDB/reports.html

• Reducing the Risk by Designing a Safer, Shame-Free Health Care Environment (Health Literacy and Patient Safety: Help Patients Understand) (2007)
  American Medical Association Foundation.
  http://www.ama-assn.org/ama1/pub/upload/mm/367/hl_monograph.pdf

Category: Healthy People

• Communicating Health: Priorities and Strategies for Progress; Objective 11-2. Improvement of Health Literacy (2010)
  Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
  http://odphp.osophs.dhhs.gov/projects/healthcomm/objective2.htm

• Health Communication and Health Information Technology (2012)
  Healthy People 2020, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
  http://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topicsobjectives2020/overview.aspx?topicid=18

• Leading Health Indicators for Healthy People 2020 (2011)
  Institute of Medicine of the National Academies.
  http://www.iom.edu/Reports/2011/Leading-Health-Indicators-for-Healthy-People-2020.aspx

Category: Institute of Medicine

• Attributes of a Health Literate Organization (2012)
  Institute of Medicine of the National Academies.
  http://www.iom.edu/Activities/PublicHealth/~/media/Files/Activity%20Files/PublicHealth/HealthLiteracy/10attributes.pdf

• Facilitating State Health Exchange Communication Through the Use of Health Literate Practices - Workshop Summary (2012)
  Institute of Medicine of the National Academies.
  http://www.iom.edu/Reports/2012/Facilitating-State-Health-Exchange-Communication-Through-the-Use-of-Health-Literate-Practices.aspx

• Health Literacy, eHealth, and Communication: Putting the Consumer First (2009)
  Institute of Medicine of the National Academies.
  http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12474

• Improving Health Literacy Within a State: Workshop Summary (2011)
  Institute of Medicine of the National Academies.
  http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13185

• Innovations in Health Literacy - Workshop Summary (2011)
  Institute of Medicine of the National Academies.
  http://www.iom.edu/Reports/2011/Innovations-in-Health-Literacy.aspx

• Leading Health Indicators for Healthy People 2020 (2011)
  Institute of Medicine of the National Academies.
  http://www.iom.edu/Reports/2011/Leading-Health-Indicators-for-Healthy-People-2020.aspx

• Measures of Health Literacy: Workshop Summary (2009)
  Institute of Medicine of the National Academies.
  http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12690

• Standardizing Medication Labels: Confusing Patients Less. Workshop Summary (2008)
  Institute of Medicine of the National Academies.
  http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12077

• Toward Patient Equity and Patient-Centeredness: Integrating Health Literacy, Disparities Reduction, and Quality Improvement. Workshop Summary (2009)
  Institute of Medicine of the National Academies.
  http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12502

Category: The Joint Commission

• Advancing Effective Communication, Cultural Competence, and Patient-and Family-Centered Care: A Roadmap for Hospitals (2010)
  The Joint Commission.
  http://www.jointcommission.org/assets/1/6/ARoadmapforHospitalsfinalversion727.pdf

• "What Did the Doctor Say?:" Improving Health Literacy to Protect Patient Safety (2007)
  The Joint Commission.
  http://www.jointcommission.org/assets/1/18/improving_health_literacy.pdf

Category: Plain Language

• Health Literacy and Plain Language Resource Guide (2008)
  Health Literacy Innovations.
  http://www.healthliteracyinnovations.com/information/RGdownload

• Health Literacy Online: A Guide to Writing and Designing Easy-to-Use Health Web Sites (2010)
  Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
  http://www.health.gov/healthliteracyonline/

• Pinkbook: Making Health Communication Programs Work (2001)
  National Cancer Institute.
  http://www.cancer.gov/pinkbook

• Toolkit for Making Written Material Clear and Effective (2010)
  Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
  https://www.cms.gov/WrittenMaterialsToolkit/

Category: Toolkits

• Health Literacy Toolkit (2010)
  Health Literacy Wisconsin/Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield.
  http://www.healthliteracywisconsin.org/resources.jsp?sectionid=204&id=215

• Health Literacy Toolkit: Better Communication for Better Care (2007)
  The Rhode Island Health Literacy Project.
  http://www.rihlp.org/pubs/Complete_toolkit_224pgs.pdf

• Health Literacy Universal Precautions Toolkit (2010)
  Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
  http://www.ahrq.gov/qual/literacy/healthliteracytoolkit.pdf

Category: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

• Communicating Health: Priorities and Strategies for Progress; Objective 11-2. Improvement of Health Literacy (2010)
  Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
  http://odphp.osophs.dhhs.gov/projects/healthcomm/objective2.htm

• Health Communication and Health Information Technology (2012)
  Healthy People 2020, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
  http://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topicsobjectives2020/overview.aspx?topicid=18

• Health Literacy Interventions and Outcomes: An Updated Systematic Review (2011)
  Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
  http://www.ahrq.gov/downloads/pub/evidence/pdf/literacy/literacyup.pdf

• Health Literacy Universal Precautions Toolkit (2010)
  Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
  http://www.ahrq.gov/qual/literacy/healthliteracytoolkit.pdf

• National Action Plan to Improve Health Literacy (2010)
  U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
  http://www.health.gov/communication/HLActionPlan

• National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services in Health Care (2001)
  Office of Minority Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
  http://minorityhealth.hhs.gov/assets/pdf/checked/finalreport.pdf

• Proceedings of the Surgeon General's Workshop on Improving Health Literacy (2006)
  Office of the Surgeon General, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
  http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/topics/healthliteracy/toc.html

• Quick Guide to Health Literacy (2010)
  Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
  http://www.health.gov/communication/literacy/quickguide/default.htm

Statistics

• America's Health Rankings (2011)
  United Health Foundation
  http://www.americashealthrankings.org/
  Accessed January 5, 2011

• Education Levels and Health Disparities (2009)
  Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Commission to Build a Healthier America
  http://www.commissiononhealth.org/Resources.aspx
  

• The Health Literacy of America's Adults: Results from the 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy (2006)
  Institute of Educational Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics.
  http://nces.ed.gov/pubSearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2006483

• The Health of Kentucky: A County Assessment (2007)
  Kentucky Institute of Medicine.
  http://www.kyiom.org/pdf/healthy2007a.pdf

• Health Topics (2011)
  Pew Internet and American Life Project.
  http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2011/HealthTopics.aspx

• Highlights from the 2003 Kentucky State Assessment of Adult Literacy
  American Institutes for Research.
  http://www.kyae.ky.gov/NR/rdonlyres/F3FC23B7-4994-4FE5-88EC-A877A359C128/0/SAAL_KY.pdf

• Low Health Literacy: Implications for National Health Policy (2007)
  John A. Vernon, Antonio Trujillo, Sara Rosenbaum, and Barbara DeBuono. Covers the financial costs of low health literacy.
  http://www.gwumc.edu/sphhs/departments/healthpolicy/CHPR/downloads/LowHealthLiteracyReport10_4_07.pdf

• State and County Estimates of Low Literacy (2003)
  National Center for Education Statistics, Institute of Education Sciences
  http://nces.ed.gov/NAAL/estimates/