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Health Communication, Health Literacy, and e-Health

Improving health communication and utilizing health technologies are essential to promoting individual and population health. The Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (ODPHP) has pulled together key tools, research and reports, and resources for public health and health communication professionals. Choose a topic area to get started.

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Discover best practices, research, and tools for improving health communication. Find health communication resources.

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Improving health literacy is critical for promoting health and is a priority for the Nation. HHS defines health literacy as the capacity to obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions. Learn more about health literacy.

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e-Health is the use of information and communication technologies to improve people’s health and health care. Health information technology (IT) is increasingly a key component of effective health communication and services. Learn more about e-Health.

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The goal of this Healthy People 2020 topic area is to use health communication strategies and health IT to improve population health outcomes and health care quality and to achieve health equity. Learn more about the Health Communication and Health IT topic area.

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3rd Annual Health Literacy Twitter Chat
Oct. 25, 2012, 3 p.m. ET
#healthlit

Using the hashtag #healthlit, please join @healthfinder, @HHS_DrKoh, @AHRQNews, @HealthLitMo and others to discuss how organizations can help people navigate, understand, and use information and services to take care of their health.

 

This site is coordinated by the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health, Office of the Secretary, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.