information for practice

The risk of miscommunication and unsafe care is not solely the potential fate of those who cannot read. It is a risk for a large segment of the American population who, according to the most recent national literacy study, have basic (29 percent) to below basic (14 percent) prose literacy skills. An additional five percent are non-literate in English. About half of the U.S. adult population has difficulty using text to accomplish everyday tasks. The ability of the average American to use numbers is even lower – 33 percent have basic and 22 percent have below basic quantitative skills. These skills include the ability to solve one-step arithmetic problems (basic) and simple addition (below basic.)