By Karen Komondor, RN, BSN, CCRN, President, United States Health Literacy Association
In this edition of Health Literacy Voices, the president of the United States Health Literacy Association (USHLA) shares her perspective on the evolving health literacy field and what it means for professionals today.
What Are Your Greatest Concerns for the Field?
My greatest concern is that health literacy continues to be treated as optional—something we “encourage” rather than require. We’ve had evidence-based strategies for decades, yet adoption remains inconsistent due to a lack of incentives and accountability structures.
At the same time, healthcare is becoming more complex—especially with the rapid integration of artificial intelligence. If we don’t intentionally embed health literacy into that evolution, we risk widening disparities and further eroding trust. Simply put, complexity is accelerating faster than our ability to make it understandable.
Where Would You Most Like to See Health Literacy Make an Impact?
I would most like to see health literacy fully integrated into how healthcare is designed—not just how it is delivered. That means embedding it into policies, workflows, technology, and communication standards from the start.
The greatest impact will come when we shift the burden off patients to “figure it out” and instead build systems that are clear, transparent, and easy to navigate. When that happens, we don’t just improve understanding—we improve safety, outcomes, and trust.
What Innovation Holds the Most Promise for Improving Health Literacy?
The most promising innovation is the intersection of AI, policy, and education—but only if they are aligned.
AI has the potential to translate complex medical information into plain language, personalize education, and support better decision-making. But without health literacy principles guiding its design, it could just as easily increase confusion.
That’s why policy innovation is so critical. When we move from recommendations to requirements—embedding health literacy into accreditation, quality measures, procurement standards, and AI governance—we create accountability.
At the same time, we need education that builds what I call AI health literacy—helping patients and clinicians understand how to use these tools safely, question outputs, recognize bias, and understand privacy risks.
The real opportunity isn’t choosing one—it’s aligning all three.
If You Could Shape the Future of Health Literacy, What One Transformative Change Would You Make?
Health literacy cannot remain optional. It must be built in by design.
I would make health literacy a foundational standard across healthcare—on par with patient safety. That’s exactly the vision behind the U.S. Health Literacy Association—to move the field beyond awareness and into policy, advocacy, and systems-level change.
This would mean every organization is accountable for ensuring people can find, understand, and use health information and services. It would be embedded in everything—from how we design AI tools and write discharge instructions to how clinicians are trained and how systems are evaluated.
Because at the end of the day, we cannot expect people to make informed decisions—or trust the system—if they don’t understand it.
If we truly want safer, more equitable, and more trustworthy healthcare, health literacy cannot remain optional. It must be built in by design.
About the Author
Karen Komondor, RN, BSN, CCRN, is a nationally recognized health literacy leader, TEDx speaker and health care communication strategist. As the founder and president of Health Literacy 360 LLC, she delivers keynotes, training and consulting services to enhance health care communication and practice. A registered nurse, Karen began her career in trauma critical care before transitioning to staff and patient education, where she discovered her passion for advancing clear communication as a foundation of high-quality care.
She served for more than two decades as director of the Health Literacy Institute at St. Vincent Charity Medical Center in Cleveland, Ohio, leading efforts to embed health literacy practices across the continuum of care. Karen has chaired Healthy Cleveland’s Health Literacy Task Force, co-founded and served as president of Ohio Health Literacy Partners, chaired the National Council to Improve Patient Safety through Health Literacy, co-chairs the AI Health Literacy Committee within the HIMSS Northern Ohio AI Center of Excellence and serves as president of the United States Health Literacy Association.
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