Examples and characteristics of commonly used tools to assess health literacy
| Screening tool . | Questionnaires available, metrics for completion . | Summary of literacy domains evaluated . | Additional notes . | References . |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newest Vital Sign | 6 items, 3 min | Written communication | Available in English and Spanish. | 35 |
| Medical numeracy, quantitation | Interpretation of a nutrition label. | |||
| Tested in children as young as 10 y old. | ||||
| Parental Health Literacy Activities Test (PHLAT) | 20 items, 21 min | Written communication | Queries 3 domains: nutrition, growth, development; injury and safety; and medical and preventive care. | 36 |
| PHLAT-10: 10 items, 13 min | Medical numeracy, quantitation | |||
| Rapid Estimate of Adult Learning in Medicine | 66 items, 2-3 min | Oral and written communication | Subjects are graded on their ability to pronounce medical terms. | 37,38 |
| Short Form: 7 items, 1 min | Vocabulary knowledge | |||
| Teen Form: 66 items, 2-3 min | ||||
| Teen Short Form: 10 item, 20 s | ||||
| Single Item Literacy Screener | 1 item, 1 min | Written communication | Single question: “How often do you need to have someone help you when you read instructions, pamphlets, or other written material from your doctor or pharmacy?” | 39 |
| Likert scale where 1 = Never, 5 = Always. | ||||
| Score >2 considered positive. | ||||
| Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults | 67 items, 20 min | Written communication | Available in English and Spanish. | 40 |
| Short Form: 40 items, 7 min | Medical numeracy, quantitation | Asks questions about instructions for prescriptions or medical scenarios. Includes fill-in-the-blank portion identifying the most contextually appropriate word. | ||
| Validated in children 13-17 y old. | ||||
| Health Literacy Skills Instrument | Computer based | Print literacy | Publicly available and can be self-administered using a computer. | 41,42 |
| 25 items, NR | Oral literacy | |||
| Short Form: 10 items, 10 min | Numeracy | |||
| Internet navigation |
| Screening tool . | Questionnaires available, metrics for completion . | Summary of literacy domains evaluated . | Additional notes . | References . |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newest Vital Sign | 6 items, 3 min | Written communication | Available in English and Spanish. | 35 |
| Medical numeracy, quantitation | Interpretation of a nutrition label. | |||
| Tested in children as young as 10 y old. | ||||
| Parental Health Literacy Activities Test (PHLAT) | 20 items, 21 min | Written communication | Queries 3 domains: nutrition, growth, development; injury and safety; and medical and preventive care. | 36 |
| PHLAT-10: 10 items, 13 min | Medical numeracy, quantitation | |||
| Rapid Estimate of Adult Learning in Medicine | 66 items, 2-3 min | Oral and written communication | Subjects are graded on their ability to pronounce medical terms. | 37,38 |
| Short Form: 7 items, 1 min | Vocabulary knowledge | |||
| Teen Form: 66 items, 2-3 min | ||||
| Teen Short Form: 10 item, 20 s | ||||
| Single Item Literacy Screener | 1 item, 1 min | Written communication | Single question: “How often do you need to have someone help you when you read instructions, pamphlets, or other written material from your doctor or pharmacy?” | 39 |
| Likert scale where 1 = Never, 5 = Always. | ||||
| Score >2 considered positive. | ||||
| Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults | 67 items, 20 min | Written communication | Available in English and Spanish. | 40 |
| Short Form: 40 items, 7 min | Medical numeracy, quantitation | Asks questions about instructions for prescriptions or medical scenarios. Includes fill-in-the-blank portion identifying the most contextually appropriate word. | ||
| Validated in children 13-17 y old. | ||||
| Health Literacy Skills Instrument | Computer based | Print literacy | Publicly available and can be self-administered using a computer. | 41,42 |
| 25 items, NR | Oral literacy | |||
| Short Form: 10 items, 10 min | Numeracy | |||
| Internet navigation |
Adapted from Morrison et al.43
NR, not reported.