Communicating with Patients Who Cannot Read

In 1992, the Department of Education tested 26,000 adults in the National Adult Literacy Survey to assess the literacy of the U.S. population in the English language.1 On the basis of the survey results, it was estimated that 40 million to 44 million people, or about one quarter of the adult population in the United States, cannot understand written materials that require only very basic proficiency in reading. These people would generally be unable to read and understand instructions on medication bottles or household cleaning solutions, notes from a child's teacher, or directions on a map.Poor reading skills are . . .