Increased readability improves the comprehension of written information for patients with skin disease

Readability of Patient Education Materials Available at the Point of Care

“…[2][3][4] Additionally, they are potentially effective at improving patient comprehension and influencing health behaviors, especially if they are written at appropriate reading levels for patients. [5][6][7] The Joint Commission 8 states that PEMs should be written at or below a 5 th grade reading level, and encourages hospitals to use readability tests to revise written materials in order to address the health literacy needs of all patients.…”

“…60% of patients assigned to 6 th grade-level information understood it independently, whereas 21% understood the 9 th grade-level information, and 19% understood the 11 th grade-level information (p<0.001). Baker et al 7 found that reducing the reading level of a patient education pamphlet on allergic contact rashes from an 11 th to 7 th grade level improved comprehension by patients in a private dermatology practice.…”

Patient Information in Graves' Disease and Thyroid-Associated Ophthalmopathy: Readability Assessment of Online Resources

“…Reading level is a crucial component of health literacy, and the readability of an online resource is therefore a critically important factor determining whether the information may be comprehended (4,9). It is estimated that 34% of adults in the United States have only basic or below basic reading literacy (10) with an inverse relationship between age and reading skill level, even when adjusted for cognitive impairment or years of schooling (11).…”

“…Information is categorized as being of ''easy'' readability if written at this level, ''average'' if assessed between seventhand ninth-grade readability, and ''difficult'' if above this (Table 1) (2). Previous studies have evaluated the readability of online patient information for a variety of medical conditions, including heart disease, cancer, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes mellitus, thyroid surgery, craniofacial conditions, age-related macular degeneration, orthopedic conditions, dermatological problems, abdominal aortic aneurysm, epilepsy, and Parkinson's disease (Table 2) (2,4,8,9,(12)(13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19)(20). Each of these studies determined that the readability of most online patient education materials, using a variety of readability scores, is less than that recommended by USDHHS.…”

“…This is important because such information may not be understood or, perhaps worse, may be misinterpreted by patients (14). It has previously been shown that suboptimal health literacy may impact on patient healthcare, with poorer treatment compliance and possible increased risk of hospitalization (9). Furthermore, better health education is associated with improved outcomes, lesser patient anxiety, and higher patient satisfaction (13).…”