ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the evolving definitions of health literacy and how nurses can critically engage with the concept. The milieu in which nursing occurs is changing rapidly with onset of new technology and new ways of engaging with information. This change is evident in everyday practices such as digital patient records, bedside access to online information to support clinical decision-making, and telemedicine. Health literacy first emerged in the 1970s, and was focused on idea that people needed to be competent in literacy and numeracy in order to read and understand written health information. Critical health literacy, as the name suggests, involves bringing advanced skills to critical examination of health information, often in the context of changing or controlling social determinants of health such as improved nutrition and exercise habits. Health literacy as an asset, on other hand, supports development of control over one's health, including knowledge about health and illness, and empowering people to put that knowledge into action.
