Health Literacy and Misinformation 

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Health literacy levels in England are very low.

• 43% of adults aged 16-65 cannot understand word-based health information sufficiently well to make health decisions
• Where numbers are added in, 61% of adults are unable to understand and act on the information

Watch this short video from Ruth Carlyle, Head of NHS Knowledge and Library Services to tell you more about this.
You can use this Geodatatool to find an estimate of the percentage of a local authority population with low health literacy and numeracy or with just low health literacy.

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Misinformation, disinformation and finding trusted information – resources for the public

• The World Health Organization (WHO) provides tips for spotting misinformation and disinformation: who.int/news-room/spotlight/let-s-flatten-the-infodemic-curve
• The PIF TICK website has one-page posters which are free to view and download on topics including false health information warning signs and what to look for in trusted health information: piftick.org.uk/finding-trusted-health-information/tips-and-guides/ 
• Independent Age offers advice on managing your health online: independentage.org/get-advice/health-and-care/living-long-term-health-conditions/how-to-find-reliable-health
• The Patient Information Forum has a series of videos to help the public spot misinformation: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLhwf1Nw8_AfppzwTLaHohAiobfJ0QGj8H
• The WHO Kahoot! Quiz aims to help people identify the red flags of misinformation: create.kahoot.it/details/83d8153f-2714-4970-aeed-e28e2d248457

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Resources for healthcare professionals, librarians and information producers

• The NHS has a Health Literacy Toolkit with information on health and digital literacy and practical tips: library.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2023/06/Health-Literacy-Toolkit.pdf
• The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) evidence collection on health literacy makes the case for improving patient information. It also includes tips on how to make sure everyone can understand the information they are given: evidence.nihr.ac.uk/collection/health-information-are-you-getting-your-message-across/
• The Patient Information Forum (PIF)’s Health Literacy Matters poster includes data to help you make the case for health-literacy friendly materials: pifonline.org.uk/resources/posters/health-literacy-matters-infographic/
• Libraries Connected offers online learning modules as part of its work on media literacy and digital skills development: https://lc.learningpool.com/course/index.php?categoryid=29
• The Information Literacy Group website supports practitioners and researchers from around the world with an interest in information and digital literacy: infolit.org.uk/

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Come along to our Health Literacy Sessions
Tuesday 21st January 2025 
10-11am
Microsoft Teams Need help?
Join the meeting now
Meeting ID: 362 478 813 342
Passcode: eu6kR2vX

​Thursday 23rd January 2025
10-11am
Join the meeting now
Meeting ID: 360 396 823 936
Passcode: Yx2GN6So

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Visit our colleagues in Health Information in the hospital foyer. 
They offer patients, carers and the public leaflets, books, internet searches and help on finding quality websites. ​

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Other Useful Links

The Health Literacy Place (NHS Education for Scotland) http://www.healthliteracyplace.org.uk/
PIF (Patient Information Forum) https://pifonline.org.uk/
National Numeracy for Health https://www.nationalnumeracy.org.uk/
Health Literacy UK https://www.healthliteracy.org.uk/
LeedsLibraries for Health – information for patients and the public -https://www.leedslibraries.nhs.uk/resources/health-information-for-patients-the-public
The Role of NHS Library & Knowledge Services in Health Literacy - https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/hir.12371

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