Table 2 The common themes identified by each country

1. Health professionals role in health service

● What role involves

● Boundaries of the role

● Patient expectation of their role

● Expectations of other health professionals role

2. Health professionals’ expectations of patients

3. Relationship with community

4. System/service issues

5. Understanding of health literacy*

● Patient

● System

6. Assessing health literacy

● Communication

● Encourage/acknowledge health literacy practices

● Identify patients health literacy needs

● Building health literacy

7. Perceived barriers to health literacy*

● Systematic/structural

● Social

● Cultural

8. Working with other health professionals

● Doctors

● Nurses

● Other health professionals

9. Health literacy resources

● Pamphlets

● Visuals

● Videos

10. Effective strategies for working with low health literate patients

● Support role/advocate

● Tailored care

● Communication

● Reinforcement

● Engagement with patients