Health Literacy: The skill we never learned

A pharmacist friend once shared a story. Her patient, a six-year old had an ear infection. Her parents collected a bottle of liquid antibiotic from the pharmacy. The pharmacists’s instructions were simple: give the medicine to the girl twice a day. Or so he thought. Instead the parents thought it was ear drops and poured the medicine into their daughter’s ear. The infection became worse.

It is easy to hear this story and wonder who made the mistake- the pharmacist or the parents? The answer is neither. What was missing was Health Literacy.

What is Health Literacy?

Health literacy is the ability to find, understand, and use health information to make good decisions. Every time you read a prescription, decide whether to see a doctor, compare treatment options, or search for symptoms online, you are using health literacy.

Many people think health literacy comes naturally if you’re highly educated. While health literacy certainly depends on how educated you are, people with PhDs may still struggle like those with high school diplomas. This is because our schools and universities teach us many valuable subjects but forget to teach us how to understand medical information, judge health claims, navigate healthcare systems and insurance, or communicate well with healthcare professionals. These are practical life skills, and most of us have to learn them on our own.

Health literacy goes beyond the basic skills of reading and numeracy. It includes understanding the significance and context of those numbers, asking clarifying questions, recognizing trustworthy information, and knowing enough basic science to make sense of health advice. Think of it as a collection of skills that help you turn information into the right action.

Why does health literacy matter?

Health decisions are not just made inside a hospital by doctors. Rather, most of the times, they happen at home, at work, in grocery stores and on our phones. Every day, we decide whether a symptom can wait or needs medical attention. We choose what to eat, whether to get the recommended vaccines or screening tests, and whether social media post deserves our trust. We decide if a supplement is worth buying or whether we should save our money. These choices may seem small, but together they shape our health over a lifetime.

Health literacy also affects what happens after we become ill. People who understand their condition and treatment are more likely to take medicines correctly, recognize warning signs, and manage long-term conditions such as diabetes or asthma much better with fewer bad outcomes. When instructions are confusing or misunderstood, recovery often takes longer, complications become more likely, and healthcare costs increase for families and communities.

Good health literacy doesn’t mean making perfect decisions every time. It means having the skills to make better decisions more often.

How can you build your health literacy?

The good news is that health literacy can be learned. You do not need a medical degree, and you do not have to master everything at once. Small habits, repeated over time, make a big difference.

Start by building your foundation. Reading confidently, understanding everyday numbers, using digital tools, and learning basic science all make health information easier to understand. You do not need to memorize biology textbooks. Simply learning how medicines work, what a nutrition label tells you, or how scientific studies are conducted will help you make more informed decisions.

Next, become more thoughtful about where your health information comes from. Social media has made health advice available within seconds, but speed and popularity are not the same as accuracy. Before believing or sharing a health claim, ask yourself a few simple questions. Who is making this claim? Are they qualified to speak on the topic? Are they providing scientific evidence? Are they trying to inform you, or are they trying to sell you something? These questions will help you avoid many misleading claims.

Another important habit is learning to ask better questions during healthcare visits. If you do not understand a diagnosis, ask your doctor to explain it differntly. If a medicine has unfamiliar instructions, ask your pharmacist to show you exactly how to take it. if you are unsure what happens next, ask before leaving the clinic. Good healthcare is a conversation, not a one-way lecture. Finally, remember that science is always improving. New research sometimes changes what we know, and that is a strength, not a weakness of science. Staying curious, keeping an open mind, and being willing to update your beliefs when better evidence appears are all part of becoming health literate.

One step at a time

Nobody is born knowing how to make health decisions. We all start somewhere. Every question you ask, every trustworthy source you read, and every misleading claim you learn to spot strengthens your health literacy. Over time, those small steps help you feel more confident, make better decisions, and take greater control of your health.

That is exactly why I created Health Savvy You podcast. Every episode is designed to help you build these skills, one conversation at a time.

Want to learn more? Episode one of health Savvy You, Good Health Starts with Health Literacy: Let’s Own it, explores health literacy in more detail, why it matters, and simple ways anyone can build it. Click to listen.