Badarudeen S, Sabharwal S, et al.
Clinical orthopaedics and related research. Date of publication 2010 Oct 1;volume 468(10):2572-80.
1. Clin Orthop Relat Res. 2010 Oct;468(10):2572-80. doi: 10.1007/s11999-010-1380-y.
Assessing readability of patient education materials: current role in
orthopaedics.
Badarudeen S(1), Sabharwal S.
Author information:
(1)Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
BACKGROUND: Health literacy is the single best predictor of an individual's
health status. It is important to customize health-related education material to
the individual patient's level of reading skills. Readability of a given text is
the objective measurement of the reading skills one should possess to understand
the written material.
QUESTIONS/PURPOSES: In this article, some of the commonly used readability
assessment tools are discussed and guidelines to improve the comprehension of
patient education handouts are provided. Where are we now? Several healthcare
organizations have recommended the readability of patient education materials be
no higher than sixth- to eighth-grade level. However, most of the patient
education materials currently available on major orthopaedic Web sites are
written at a reading level that may be too advanced for comprehension by a
substantial proportion of the population. WHERE DO WE NEED TO GO?: There are
several readily available and validated tools for assessing the readability of
written materials. While use of audiovisual aids such as video clips, line
drawings, models, and charts can enhance the comprehension of a health-related
topic, standard readability tools cannot construe such enhancements. HOW DO WE
GET THERE?: Given the variability in the capacity to comprehend health-related
materials among individuals seeking orthopaedic care, stratifying the contents of
patient education materials at different levels of complexity will likely improve
health literacy and enhance patient-centered communication.
DOI: 10.1007/s11999-010-1380-y
PMCID: PMC3049622
PMID: 20496023 [Indexed for MEDLINE]
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