http://www.ahrq.gov/populations/sahlsatool.htm

Two health literacy measurement tools developed by AHRQ grantees are now available on AHRQ’s Web site:

• Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine - Short Form (REALM-SF): a 7-item word recognition test to provide clinicians with a valid quick assessment of patient health literacy.
• Short Assessment of Health Literacy for Spanish Adults (SAHLSA-50): a 50-item instrument designed to assess a Spanish-speaking adult’s ability to read and understand common medical terms in Spanish.

The Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine—Short Form (REALM-SF) has been validated and field tested in diverse research setting, and has excellent agreement with the 66-item REALM instrument in terms of grade-level assignments.

The Short Assessment of Health Literacy for Spanish Adults (SAHLSA-50) is a validated health literacy assessment tool. The SAHLSA is based on the Rapid Estimates of Adult Literacy in Medicine (REALM), known as the most easily administered tool for assessing health literacy in English.

Both health literacy measurement tools, along with instruction for administering them, can be found at: http://www.ahrq.gov/populations/sahlsatool.htm.