ACOG Committee Opinion No. 391, December 2007. Health literacy.

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, health literacy is the degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) is committed to the promotion of health literacy for all. The purpose of this committee opinion is to outline the complex issues surrounding health literacy and offer strategies for increasing health literacy in clinical practice.