Using Principles of Health Literacy to Enhance the Informed Consent Process

THE LANGUAGE COMMONLY used in procedural/surgical consent forms often exceeds the average reading level of US patients, and many do not read the document before signing it. INCORPORATING READER-FRIENDLY language and formatting makes it more likely that patients will read the document, understand it, and therefore give informed consent. Adding "teach back" into the document provides a means of evaluating patient understanding. USING READER-FRIENDLY procedural/surgical consent documents merges the objectives of both health literacy and informed consent.