A research project is currently being done at the UCD Smurfit School to investigate the economic implications of health literacy in Ireland. For more information about the PHD in Health Literacy in association with MSD, visit the UCD Smurfit School website by clicking here.

US research shows how health literacy difficulties come at a cost to the person and to the community:

• In America in 2001, low functional literacy resulted in an estimated $32 to $48 billion in additional healthcare costs.
• 90 million Americans have trouble understanding health information.
• In 2004, the US Institute of Medicine noted that "health literacy remains a final neglected pathway to high-quality health care.”