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AI and Health Literacy

To Read or Not To Read: Health Literacy Matters

2025 Library and Information Week theme is "To Read or Not to Read: Health Literacy Matters." The district wide library service is emphasising the importance of creating a health-literate environment for our consumers, partnering with HNELHD Clinical Governance, NSW Health's Statewide Health Literacy Hub and the Sydney Health Literacy Lab (SHLL).

Health literacy encompasses more than just understanding health information; it includes the ability to find, comprehend, and use this information to make informed health decisions. In Australia, 60% of people have low health literacy. By improving health literacy through partnerships with patients, families, and caregivers, we can help reduce healthcare costs and improve outcomes. This concept is closely linked to the NSQHS Standard 2, Partnering with Consumers with which focuses on engaging consumers in health service governance and decision-making.

Discover the Health Literacy Speciality Guide

29 July 2025

Dr. Julie Ayer - Sydney Health Literacy Lab (SHLL) presentation slides

Dana Mouwad - Director of NSW Health's Statewide Health Literacy Hub presentation slides

UpToDate logo Try out the Health Literacy Editor

UpToDate logo Dunn AG, Shih I, Ayre J, Spallek H. What generative AI means for trust in health communications. J Commun Healthc. 2023 Dec;16(4):385-388. doi: 10.1080/17538068.2023.2277489. Epub 2023 Dec 14. PMID: 37921509. REQUEST the item

Open Access logo Ayre J, Mac O, McCaffery K, McKay BR, Liu M, Shi Y, Rezwan A, Dunn AG. New Frontiers in Health Literacy: Using ChatGPT to Simplify Health Information for People in the Community. J Gen Intern Med. 2024 Mar;39(4):573-577. doi: 10.1007/s11606-023-08469-w. Epub 2023 Nov 8. PMID: 37940756; PMCID: PMC10973278.

Open Access logo Stanceski K, Zhong S, Zhang X, Khadra S, Tracy M, Koria L, Lo S, Naganathan V, Kim J, Dunn AG, Ayre J. The quality and safety of using generative AI to produce patient-centred discharge instructions. NPJ Digit Med. 2024 Nov 20;7(1):329. doi: 10.1038/s41746-024-01336-w. PMID: 39567722; PMCID: PMC11579500.

Open Access logo Ayre J, Cvejic E, McCaffery KJ. Use of ChatGPT to obtain health information in Australia, 2024: insights from a nationally representative survey. Medical Journal of Australia. 2025;222(4):210-2.

Open Access logo Ayre J, Taba M, Nickel B, Edlund G, Vu T, Yan J, et al. Can co-designed educational interventions help consumers think critically about asking ChatGPT health questions? Results from a randomised-controlled trial. medRxiv 2025.04.28.25326600; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.04.28.25326600

Open Access logo Ayre J, Bonner C, Muscat DM, et al. Online Plain Language Tool and Health Information Quality: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Netw Open. 2024;7(10):e2437955. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.37955

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