Skip to Main Content

Nursing & Allied Health Professions Library Guide

This guide is intended to support Lane students taking Nursing and the Allied Health Professions courses find materials for research, projects, and clinical practice.

Resources for Patients

Culturally Specific Resources

What is Health Literacy?

According to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Health literacy is defined as the degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, process and understand basic health information needed to make appropriate health decisions and services needed to prevent or treat illness.

Patients with low health literacy may have difficulty

  • Locating providers and services
  • Filling out complex health forms
  • Sharing their medical history with providers
  • Seeking preventive health care
  • Knowing the connection between risky behaviors and health
  • Managing chronic health conditions
  • Understanding directions on medicine