Health Literacy and Communication in Stroke Prevention, Management, and Recovery
Updated: October 15, 2026
- This scientific statement synthesizes current evidence on health literacy and communication across the entire stroke continuum, from prevention through recovery, and identifies nurse-led opportunities to advance equity and patient-centered outcomes.
- Rather than treating limited health literacy as a fixed patient trait, the statement calls for healthcare systems and interprofessional teams to redesign how stroke education and communication are delivered.
- The evidence for nurse-led literacy interventions is encouraging but still developing, and the statement is candid about the gaps: few adequately powered trials, inconsistent outcome measures, and a lack of tools validated for the aphasia, limited-English-proficiency, and cognitively impaired survivors who need them most.
Recommended Reading
- Health Literacy and Cardiovascular Disease: Fundamental Relevance to Primary and Secondary Prevention
- Nursing's Role in Successful Stroke Care Transitions Across the Continuum: From Acute Care Into the Community
- Exploring the Inclusion of Person-Centered Care Domains in Stroke Transitions of Care Interventions
- Improving Access to Stroke Rehabilitation and Recovery
- 2026 Guideline for Adult Stroke Rehabilitation and Recovery