Health Data Literacy in Canada: The Missing Metric in a Data-Rich Era

Health data are essential for improving care, guiding decisions, and shaping health policy, but many people in Canada lack the knowledge needed to use them effectively. This article suggests that health data literacy, understanding what data are, why they matter, and how they should be used, is a critical foundation of a well-functioning health system. Without a shared level of literacy across the public, healthcare providers, decision-makers, and researchers, even advanced systems may result in fragmented care, poor decisions, wasted resources, and reduced public trust. Currently, there is no consistent definition of comprehensive approach to measure or improve health data literacy in Canada, and existing efforts are limited. Evidence shows significant gaps across all groups from low public awareness to challenges among clinicians and policy-makers in interpreting and using data effectively. A coordinated approach to define, measure, and improve health data literacy is needed to strengthen Canada’s health system.