This health literacy textbook and clinical guide provides a solid foundation for developing the requisite skills nurses need to help all patients obtain and understand basic health information, so they can make appropriate health decisions. It is written for undergraduate and graduate nursing students studying to meet advance nurse practice competencies according to the Healthy People 2020 initiative to improve health literacy. The book promotes communication strategies needed to verbally explain patient care protocols in simple, effective, and sensitive language and secondly, to provide easy-to-understand, age-and language-appropriate take-home materials that patients can read and follow when they arrive home. The text describes the consequences of poor health literacy and provides case examples drawn from real life that illustrate the use and effectiveness of developing health literacy skills. It provides clear guidance for APN competencies in all specialties. Nursing professionals can build upon the basic tools offered in the text throughout their career to stay abreast of evolving patient populations, cultural diversity demographics, and age-appropriate patient teaching content. Lastly, the material can easily be incorporated into course content regarding ""special populations,"" (mental health, childbearing, reproductive health, end of life, and people living with disabilities) for whom health literacy often is overlooked. Key Features: Provides a solid foundation for developing skills that foster health literacy among all patients Meets the regulatory and legal requirements for providing culturally sensitive, age-appropriate, and literacy-appropriate patient teaching Includes guidelines for improving health literacy according to Healthy People 2020 goals Includes real case examples throughout to illustrate purpose and effectiveness of fostering health literacy skills Addresses in depth oral and written forms of communication