Are you communicating effectively with your doctor? Do you understand the instructions your doctor gives you? Health literacy is the degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions. If you have a hard time understanding medical terms or instructions, you are not alone, 46% of people have problems with health literacy. There are many steps we can take to educate ourselves and communicate more effectively with our healthcare providers. Be in charge of your own healthcare.