Health literacy

Health literacy is defined as how well people can obtain, communicate, process and understand health information and services to make appropriate health decisions for themselves and their families.

The health care system is complex, and many people have difficulty understanding health information and health services, particularly those facing language and cultural barriers.

We aim to improve health literacy for all Territorians by working to make it easier for people to navigate, understand, and use health information and services by 

  • strengthening our own health literacy environment, through our systems, policies, and practices  
  • promoting continuous improvement in the health literacy environment provided by organisations we commission and the skills of providers so they can support people to make informed choices about their health and healthcare.  

Read our Health Literacy Final Report 
Read our Health Literacy Strategy 2018-2021 FINAL October 2018