On behalf of the Federal Office of Public Health
The Swiss population faces several challenges when it comes to health. For example, the digital transformation is permeating not only the lives and health of individuals, but also the entire health system. The population is increasingly required to take an active role and responsibility for its own health and that of other people. At the same time, more self-determination and co-determination in this area is demanded. To be able to perform the tasks associated with these challenges and to adequately deal with health information, everyone is dependent on certain abilities and skills, and hence requires sufficient health literacy. Health literacy includes the basic literacy and numeracy skills of an individual on the one hand, and the cognitive and social skills to access, understand, appraise, and apply information and services relevant to health to maintain and promote health or cope with diseases.
We are all familiar with pain. For example, when • we graze our knee, • we burn our hand on a hot stove or • we are sad. But how does pain work? What is it there for? And what is chronic pain? In this leaflet, you will find answers to th…
