Functional health literacy – a person’s ability to read and comprehend information and instructions in health settings. Functional health literacy is linked to educational attainment9 and general literacy.44 45 People with inadequate skills in reading and numeracy will have less exposure to universal health information, and the skills needed to comprehend and act upon health information will be less developed.46 Functional health literacy is not always equivalent to level of education, despite the correlation. 33 Having adequate or good general literacy and numeracy skills does not necessarily equip a person with the skills and confidence to deal with the complicated literacy demands of healthcare settings.29 A well-educated and literate person can have low health literacy when required to understand and act upon unfamiliar terminology and concepts in unfamiliar healthcare settings47 and when navigating health information online,48 especially when illness makes them more vulnerable.