Health literacy matters
New initiatives to boost health literacy in populations and organisations need broad input from patients and the public, says Tessa Richards “Sunshine, rest, exercise, diet, friends, and self-confidence” are the “six best doctors in the world,” is a popular quote. As a patient with multiple long term conditions, I’d add “peer support” to that list. I know from firsthand experience how the solidarity, insights, wisdom, and resources provided by networked patient communities can support patients and help them become more health literate.1 The World Health Organization emphasises that health literacy is more than the ability to understand and “comply” with health professional diktat. It encompasses “the motivation and ability of individuals to gain access to, understand, and use information in ways which promote and maintain” their own good health, and that of their family and community.23 Raising the health literacy of populations is high on WHO’s agenda. The rationale is that this impro