Assess Health Literacy in Your Organization

Your organization can’t address its health literacy issues if it doesn’t know its current situation. It’s easy to make assumptions, but you need data. Do an honest assessment to identify opportunities and barriers to make progress on health literacy.

As you conduct your assessment, engage multiple stakeholders, and choose from these tools to help you get started.

Resources for Organizations

General Assessment Tools

Pharmacy Health Literacy Assessment Toolexternal icon (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 2007)
AHRQ Health Literacy Universal Precautions Toolkitexternal icon (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 2010)
The Health Literacy Environment of Hospitals and Health Centers – Partners for Action: Making Your Healthcare Facility Literacy-Friendlyexternal icon (Harvard School of Public Health, 2006)
Building Health Literate Organizations: A Guidebook to Achieving Organizational Changeexternal icon (Unity Point Health, 2014)

Train the workforce

See our Find Training page for training opportunities in health literacy, plain language, and culture and communication

Develop materials that are easy to understand and act on

Federal Plain Language Guidelinesexternal icon (The Plain Language Action and Information Network)
Full Index Score Sheet pdf icon[694 KB, 7 pages] (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

See our Develop Materials section for additional guidance and resources for preparing materials to address health literacy

Meet the needs of audiences with a range of health literacy skills

AHRQ Health Literacy Universal Precautions Toolkitexternal icon (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality 2010)
National Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS) Standards ( HHS Office of Minority Health)external icon can help organizations address the cultural and language differences between the people who provide information and services and the people they serve.
Questions are the Answerexternal icon (Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality 2009)

Provide easy access to health information and services

See the resources below for information about accessible and usable health information (IT), including Web sites.

Accessible Health Information Technology (IT) for Populations with Limited Literacy: A Guide for Developers and Purchasers of Health ITpdf iconexternal icon (HHS AHRQ National Resource Center for Health IT 2007)
NIH National Library of Medicine Evidence-based Practice and Health Technology Assessment Links to Resourcesexternal icon (NIH National Library of Medicine 2011)
Federal usability informationexternal icon

See the resources below for information on how to improve the readability of consent forms and other print materials for health care research study participants.