How a few simple words improve patients' health.

Recent studies have shown that nearly one quarter of Americans read at or below a fifth grade level, yet medical leaflets and other healthcare data are often written at or above the 10th grade level. Poor health literacy contributes to a host of healthcare problems, including increased health costs, medication errors, adverse drug events and noncompliance. There are steps that can be taken to bridge the health literacy gap between healthcare providers and patients, resulting in an improved physician/patient relationship, better patient health and reduction in healthcare costs.