When you leave your doctor’s office, do you understand what you’ve been told? Do you know how often you should take your prescribed medicine? Do you know what things you should avoid when taking your medicine? A recent study showed people were medically illiterate based on their ability to comprehend common medical information -- such as prescription labels, appointment slips, and instructions on preparing for an x-ray.

In this contest, we want to test your medical IQ. To enter, correctly answer these five questions:

• You are told "avoid all food or drink after midnight" before having an x-ray. When is the last time you should eat or drink prior to the test?
• "Take one tablet by mouth three times a day";… If you take your first tablet at 7 a.m., when should you take the next one?
• "Give your child Tylenol for a fever." If you don’t have any acetaminophen (Tylenol), will a plain old aspirin do the trick?
• "For external use only." If these words are on your prescription label, what do you do with this medicine?
• You missed taking your daily medicine for 2 consecutive days… should you make up your doses by taking three times the amount you are supposed to take on the 3rd day?

After you answer those five questions, tell us about a time when you were confused by your doctor’s instructions.

If we select your entry, we’ll send you a free Flip camcorder. Don’t worry about whether you know how to write. Our editors will check for grammar and tighten the writing. The most important thing is to "write from the heart" and not worry about style.

Click here to see writing from the winner of our last contest, Coworkers Bothering You?

Who is eligible?

This contest is open to all U.S. residents, unless otherwise restricted in these rules. No purchase is necessary. This contest is sponsored by A.D.A.M., Inc. Void where prohibited. A.D.A.M., Inc. employees and non-U.S. residents are not eligible.

How do you submit your entry?

There are 2 ways to submit your exercise story -- by email or regular mail.

To submit by email:

• Send an email with the following subject line: Health IQ contest.
• Include the following in the email: your answers to the five health literacy questions and your story about a time when you were confused by medical instructions, first and last name, email address, street address, and a phone number where we can reach you.
• Email your entry to: contest@adamcorp.com

To submit by regular mail:

• Include your answers to the five health literacy questions and your story about a time when you were confused by medical instructions, first and last name, street address, and a phone number where we can reach you.
• Mail to: Editorial Director, Health Literacy Contest, A.D.A.M. Inc, 1600 Riveredge Parkway, Suite 100, Atlanta GA, 30328

Your phone number will be used to contact you in the event you win. Your address is needed to mail the prize. We will Not use your phone number or address for any other reason.

All entries must be submitted by January 31, 2008.

How will winners be selected and notified?

We will pick 2 winners. Each winner will receive a Flip camcorder. The winning entries will be selected based on the following criteria:

1. Your entry was received by the deadline.

2. You correctly answer the five health literacy questions.

3. Your story clearly explains how you were confused by medical instructions and what you did to make sure you followed them correctly.

4. Your story inspires others to be more careful about understanding how to follow medical instructions.

The A.D.A.M. editorial team will determine which entry best meets these criteria, and our decisions are final. A.D.A.M. will mail the winner an affidavit of eligibility. Upon receipt of the affidavit, A.D.A.M. will mail your prize to the address provided.

Copyright & Permission

Upon submission, the content of your entry becomes solely the property of A.D.A.M., Inc. By submitting an entry, you give A.D.A.M. permission to use the content in any of our products at any time. We reserve the right to alter the content for grammar and additional editing or tightening. You will remain anonymous. We will NOT use your full name in any of our products. We will use first name and last initial.