Why Patients Need Medical Literacy for Equity
In the past, medicine operated like a one-way street. Doctors and scientists were the experts, and patients were the recipients—expected to listen, follow, and trust without question. But the landscape of health knowledge is shifting. In an age of open-access information, online learning, and patient-led research, medical literacy has become a key tool for equity—empowering […]
Medicine is for All Minds
Medicine is often imagined as the territory of doctors in white coats, laboratories, and hospital wards. But in truth, medicine is a human project that extends far beyond the walls of clinics and lecture halls. The health challenges we face—chronic diseases, pandemics, inequities in access to care, environment-related illnesses, cannot be solved by one profession […]
What is Applied Medical Literacy?
Medical literacy is the ability to use medical language—such as terminology, concepts, and classifications—and to analyze, evaluate, and apply medical information. It goes beyond simply recognizing terms on a chart or repeating what a doctor says. True medical literacy involves interpreting health information in context, asking meaningful questions, comparing sources, and making informed decisions. Applied […]
