Chances are, no matter how much Grey's Anatomy you've watched or even how much you've studied for medical school, a doctor has said something you haven't understood.

And you're not alone.

According to a recent New York Times article, "National studies have found that 'health literacy' is remarkably low, with more than 90 million Americans unable to adequately understand basic health information."

These studies show that this problem "affects people of all ages, races, income and education levels," Richard H. Carmona, the United States surgeon general, wrote in the August issue of The Journal of General Internal Medicine.

Though both my parents are doctors and I've grown up cutting to the chase with physicians — "I know I'm nine, but I have 'nasal congestion and productive mucus' not a 'stuffy nose!'" — I like to refer to this as the Paper Sheet Phenomenon.

Behind the closed doors of an examination room wearing nothing but a paper sheet next to a fully clothed doctor in a white coat, even the doctoral student is a layman. And a layman who, embarrassed by his or her status as such, freezes up, forgets important items or facts and may not be able to ask the appropriate questions.

So while you may have heard what "squamous cells" mean outside of your current sterilized post-consumer garb, rattled off with about seven other polysyllabic terms, what you're hearing now might as well be Greek.

Well, actually, it's probably Latin. So unless you're a particularly science-minded classics major, you get the point.

According to The New York Times, the Paper Sheet Phenomenon is not only hazardous to the understanding of one's health, but it can also be deadly. "Among 175 adult asthma patients treated by Cornell University doctors found that 'less health literacy was associated with worse quality of life, worse physical function and more emergency department utilization for asthma over two years.'"

The article also cited a study of the common misconceptions surrounding prescription drug instructions, such as, "When the warning label read 'Do Not Chew or Crush, Swallow Whole,' misinterpretations included 'Chew up, so it will dissolve' and 'Don't swallow whole or you might choke.'"

While ensuring that patients are literate in terms of their health isn't explicitly set out in the Hippocratic Oath, there is much that current and potential doctors can do to make sure that they truly "do no harm."

To start, doctors can take three minutes out of their unfortunately HMO-harried days, wait for a patient to get dressed and then address him or her with items of prognosis and prescription. The mere act of getting dressed is often enough to tip the examination-room power dynamic and allow patients the courage to ask appropriate questions.

I certainly know I'm more comfortable with my clothes on in most social situations.

The second and perhaps most important thing a doctor can do to help patients learn about their own health is create a social environment that encourages patients to ask questions.

Already a positive dictum that was taught to me in the corporate world, by asking open questions such as, "What questions do you have?" doctors allow patients to assess the recently imparted facts — instead of merely inviting "yes" or "no" answers.

This open, as opposed to authoritarian, environment allows both doctors and patients to assess their mutual understanding and limit misinterpretation.

The New York Times also recommended that patients take the lead and not wait until doctors become better at communicating.

I agree with this suggestion.

The only the way to combat the Paper Sheet Phenomenon is to demand the best care possible through communicating effectively with physicians. This means asking questions that ensure your understanding of a problem and requesting that doctors write down their answers.

Because, in the end, health literacy shouldn't be something only reserved for those working inside hospitals and medical centers.

Reach columnist Maureen Trantham at opinion@thedaily.washington.edu