在健康促進新典範的潮流下，健康素養的概念孕育而生，成為巨觀層級思維下決定健康與否的重
要因素。健康素養從1990年代開始受到美國醫療領域的重視，此概念非僅止於對訊息的理解，
尚包含獲得、轉換以及了解健康訊息以便於在醫療情境中做出正確決定。目前測量健康素養的工
具有「成人醫學素養快速評斷 （Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine, REALM） 」 、簡明版成人功能性健康素養問卷 （Short-Test of Functional
Health Literacy in Adults, short-TOFHLA）以及全國成人識字評估（National Assessment of Adult Literacy, NAAL） 。文獻證實，健康素養是21世紀衛生教育計畫的重要指標。建議護理人員可藉由設計反思式衛生教育教材、透過多元網路科技服務與社區充能之衛生教育策略來達到健康素養，使衛生教育更具成效。

Through health promotion campaigns, health literacy has become a vital factor in determining a popu-lation’s health in terms of the macro view of health. Since the 1990s, the concept has been increasingly
valued in American health circles. Health literacy not only means understanding medical information, but also implies the degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, process, and understand
the basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions. There are three instruments for estimating individuals’ health literacy, including the Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy
in Medicine (REALM), the Short-Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults (Short-TOFHLA) and the National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL). Literature review reveals that health literacy is an
important indicator for evaluating the effectiveness of a health education program for the 21st century. The author suggests that nurses adopt such strategies for health education as designing educational materials that prompt introspection, using a range of Internet technologies and designing strategies of community empowerment to conduct health education programs, in order to improve clients’ health literacy and raise the effectiveness of such programs.