Such selleck professional advances bring greater responsibilities in providing health information. Indeed, continued recognition as important and highly skilled health professionals demands that we deliver reliable and accurate health information to our patients and stakeholders so that they can make informed decisions about their healthcare. Effective information exchange is particularly important in physiotherapy practice since this constitutes a fundamental component of most patient-practitioner encounters (Liddle et al 2009), particularly in the context of self-management. In order to do this effectively, we must consider how this

information is made available and the manner in which it is delivered, and ultimately understood. As the requirement for self-management in healthcare is increasingly emphasised, especially in the management of chronic conditions, patients are asked to assume greater responsibility in: • handling diverse information resources such as educational materials, prescriptions and medical forms; To

undertake these tasks effectively, patients require a basic set of skills which enable them to seek, understand, and utilise health information, a concept referred to as health literacy ( USA Department of Health and Human Lonafarnib Services 2000). This editorial outlines the importance and relevance of health literacy to physiotherapy practice and potential ways to optimise the exchange of information during the physiotherapist-patient encounter. Myriad definitions of healthy literacy exist, leading to

debate as to what health literacy represents and how it should be measured. However, across definitions there is a consistent theme that patients require a distinct set of abilities to seek, understand, and use health information. Some definitions focus on literacy and numeracy skills, while others encompass broader attributes such as conceptual and cultural knowledge, and social skills. Increasingly, health literacy is recognised as a complex multidimensional Resveratrol concept that involves interaction between patient abilities and broader social, environmental, and healthcare factors (Jordan 2010a). Low health literacy has been linked to poor health behaviours and outcomes, independent of other sociodemographic factors (DeWalt et al 2004). It is therefore recognised as an important public health issue both in Australia and internationally. For example, a recent report concluded that low health literacy skills increased national annual healthcare expenditures by $US73 billion (USA National Academy on an Aging Society 1999).