If you have ever been confused about instructions you received from a physician, or unsure about the proper way to take medications you are given, don’t worry. You are not alone. Health literacy — the ability to read, understand and act on health care information — has been identified as an issue for 21 percent of adults, and 66 percent of adults over age 60.

Crozer-Keystone Health System recognizes that people with marginal health literacy skills represent a significant segment of society and include people who head families, go to work every day, and manage a range of conditions. The health system also understands the negative effects that health literacy can have on patient health and well-being. Therefore, in 2002, Crozer-Keystone launched a system-wide initiative to educate physicians, nurses and employees about health literacy as well as make patient materials easier to understand.

A system-wide, multidisciplinary team was created to lead these efforts. In a short time, the team has developed “plain-talk” patient education materials in four key clinical areas, and materials in four more areas will be revamped by next June. During every Health Literacy Month (October), the health system educates employees by placing informational articles, statistics and tips in internal publications and through e-mail. And this past June, a health literacy conference for employees was held at Crozer-Chester Medical Center. The conference featured speakers from around the country.