Health literacy in a rehabilitation setting [abstract]

Health literacy is defined by the World Health Organization as "the cognitive and social skills which determine the motivation and ability of individuals to gain access to, understand, and use information in ways which promote and maintain good health." In a rehabilitation setting, health literacy is important in order to make informed decisions about healthcare and to communicate effectively with healthcare providers by understanding complex oral and written communication. However, communication barriers between healthcare providers and clients may occur due to a mismatch between the complexity of the communication from the healthcare provider and the patient's health literacy level. This research examined the effectiveness of client-provider communication in an inpatient stroke unit