並列摘要
Health literacy is defined as ＜||＞ the degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions.＜||＞ Skills such as reading, writing, basic mathematical calculations and speech are emphasized in patient-provider communication because it is felt that inadequate health literacy may lead to misinformation and so negatively affect the treatment and safety of the patient. However, the medical language and educational materials used in a medical setting are not suitable for illiterate or functionally illiterate patients and this creates difficulties in patient-provider communication. Promoting the effectiveness of patient teaching is the responsibility of nurses who pride themselves on their patient education endeavors. This article provides information about health literacy issues in a health care setting and the nursing practices available. It is hoped that this paper can provide health care practitioners with additional knowledge about health literacy and references in health care practice or research.