scholarly journals Readability Assessment of Online Patient Education Material on Congestive Heart Failure

2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Akhil Kher ◽  
Sandra Johnson ◽  
Robert Griffith
Keyword(s):  
Heart Failure ◽  
Congestive Heart Failure ◽  
Patient Education ◽  
General Population ◽  
Sixth Grade ◽  
Assessment Tools ◽  
Flesch Reading Ease ◽  
Readability Assessment ◽  
Readability Level ◽  
Online Patient Education

Background. Online health information is being used more ubiquitously by the general population. However, this information typically favors only a small percentage of readers, which can result in suboptimal medical outcomes for patients. Objective. The readability of online patient education materials regarding the topic of congestive heart failure was assessed through six readability assessment tools. Methods. The search phrase “congestive heart failure” was employed into the search engine Google. Out of the first 100 websites, only 70 were included attending to compliance with selection and exclusion criteria. These were then assessed through six readability assessment tools. Results. Only 5 out of 70 websites were within the limits of the recommended sixth-grade readability level. The mean readability scores were as follows: the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level (9.79), Gunning-Fog Score (11.95), Coleman-Liau Index (15.17), Simple Measure of Gobbledygook (SMOG) index (11.39), and the Flesch Reading Ease (48.87). Conclusion. Most of the analyzed websites were found to be above the sixth-grade readability level recommendations. Efforts need to be made to better tailor online patient education materials to the general population.

Readability Assessment of Patient Education Materials on Major Otolaryngology Association Websites

2012 ◽  
Vol 147 (5) ◽  
pp. 848-854 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean Anderson Eloy ◽  
Shawn Li ◽  
Khushabu Kasabwala ◽  
Nitin Agarwal ◽  
David R. Hansberry ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Patient Education ◽  
Sixth Grade ◽  
Reading Level ◽  
Flesch Reading Ease ◽  
Education Material ◽  
Individual Assessment ◽  
Honestly Significant Difference ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Grade Reading Level ◽  
Post Hoc

Objective Various otolaryngology associations provide Internet-based patient education material (IPEM) to the general public. However, this information may be written above the fourth- to sixth-grade reading level recommended by the American Medical Association (AMA) and National Institutes of Health (NIH). The purpose of this study was to assess the readability of otolaryngology-related IPEMs on various otolaryngology association websites and to determine whether they are above the recommended reading level for patient education materials. Study Design and Setting Analysis of patient education materials from 9 major otolaryngology association websites. Methods The readability of 262 otolaryngology-related IPEMs was assessed with 8 numerical and 2 graphical readability tools. Averages were evaluated against national recommendations and between each source using analysis of variance (ANOVA) with post hoc Tukey’s honestly significant difference (HSD) analysis. Mean readability scores for each otolaryngology association website were compared. Results Mean website readability scores using Flesch Reading Ease test, Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level, Coleman-Liau Index, SMOG grading, Gunning Fog Index, New Dale-Chall Readability Formula, FORCAST Formula, New Fog Count Test, Raygor Readability Estimate, and the Fry Readability Graph ranged from 20.0 to 57.8, 9.7 to 17.1, 10.7 to 15.9, 11.6 to 18.2, 10.9 to 15.0, 8.6 to 16.0, 10.4 to 12.1, 8.5 to 11.8, 10.5 to 17.0, and 10.0 to 17.0, respectively. ANOVA results indicate a significant difference ( P < .05) between the websites for each individual assessment. Conclusion The IPEMs found on all otolaryngology association websites exceed the recommended fourth- to sixth-grade reading level.

scholarly journals An Analysis of the Readability of Educational Materials on the Consumer Webpage of a Health Professional Organization: Considerations for Practice

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Naudia Falconer ◽  
E. Reicherter ◽  
Barbara Billek-Sawhney ◽  
Steven Chesbro
Keyword(s):  
Patient Education ◽  
Health Professional ◽  
Grade Level ◽  
Sixth Grade ◽  
Reading Level ◽  
Professional Organization ◽  
Flesch Reading Ease ◽  
Ease Score ◽  
Site Evaluation ◽  
American Physical

The readability level of many patient education materials is too high for patients to comprehend, placing the patient’s health at risk. Since health professionals often recommend Internet-based patient education resources, they must ensure that the readability of information provided to consumers is at an appropriate level. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the readability of educational brochures found on the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) consumer website. Methods: Fourteen educational brochures on the APTA website in March 2008 were analyzed using the following assessments: Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level, Flesch Reading Ease, Fry Readability Formula, Simple Measure of Gobbledygook (SMOG), Checklist for Patient Education Materials, and Consumer Health Web Site Evaluation Checklist. Results: According to the Flesch-Kincaid and Flesch Reading Ease, over 90% of the brochures were written at greater than a sixth grade level. The mean reading level was grade 10.2 (range = 3.1 to 12) with a Reading Ease score between 31.5 to 79.9. Using the SMOG formula, the brochures had a mean reading level of grade 11.5 (range = 9 to 13). The Fry Readability showed that 85% of the brochures were written higher than a sixth grade level, with a mean reading level of grade 9.5 (range = 6 to 14). Conclusion: Findings suggest that most of the consumer education information available on the website of this health professional organization had readability scores that were too high for average consumers to read.

Patient education needs as reported by congestive heart failure patients and their nurses

1994 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 685-690 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beverly D. Hagenhoff ◽  
Cindy Feutz ◽  
Vicki S. Conn ◽  
Kelli K. Sagehom ◽  
MaryBeth Moranville-Hunziker
Keyword(s):  
Heart Failure ◽  
Congestive Heart Failure ◽  
Patient Education ◽  
Heart Failure Patients ◽  
Education Needs

scholarly journals Plasma B-type Natriuretic Peptide Levels and Risk Factors for Congestive Heart Failure in a Japanese General Population

2005 ◽  
Vol 46 (3) ◽  
pp. 465-475 ◽  
Author(s):  
Toshie Segawa ◽  
Motoyuki Nakamura ◽  
Kazuyoshi Itai ◽  
Toshiyuki Onoda ◽  
Akira Okayama ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Heart Failure ◽  
Congestive Heart Failure ◽  
General Population ◽  
Natriuretic Peptide ◽  
Japanese General Population

Critical Quality and Readability Analysis of Online Patient Education Materials on Parotidectomy: A Cross-Sectional Study

2022 ◽  
pp. 000348942110666
Author(s):  
Elysia Miriam Grose ◽  
Emily YiQin Cheng ◽  
Marc Levin ◽  
Justine Philteos ◽  
Jong Wook Lee ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Patient Education ◽  
Grade Level ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Online Information ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Flesch Reading Ease ◽  
Ease Score ◽  
Google Search ◽  
Online Patient Education

Purpose: Complications related to parotidectomy can cause significant morbidity, and thus, the decision to pursue this surgery needs to be well-informed. Given that information available online plays a critical role in patient education, this study aimed to evaluate the readability and quality of online patient education materials (PEMs) regarding parotidectomy. Methods: A Google search was performed using the term “parotidectomy” and the first 10 pages of the search were analyzed. Quality and reliability of the online information was assessed using the DISCERN instrument. Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL) and Flesch-Reading Ease Score (FRE) were used to evaluate readability. Results: Thirty-five PEMs met the inclusion criteria. The average FRE score was 59.3 and 16 (46%) of the online PEMs had FRE scores below 60 indicating that they were fairly difficult to very difficult to read. The average grade level of the PEMs was above the eighth grade when evaluated with the FKGL. The average DISCERN score was 41.7, which is indicative of fair quality. There were no significant differences between PEMs originating from medical institutions and PEMs originating from other sources in terms of quality or readability. Conclusion: Online PEMs on parotidectomy may not be comprehensible to the average individual. This study highlights the need for the development of more appropriate PEMs to inform patients about parotidectomy.

Readability assessment of online patient education materials from academic otolaryngology–head and neck surgery departments

2013 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter F. Svider ◽  
Nitin Agarwal ◽  
Osamah J. Choudhry ◽  
Aaron F. Hajart ◽  
Soly Baredes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Patient Education ◽  
Head And Neck ◽  
Neck Surgery ◽  
Head And Neck Surgery ◽  
Readability Assessment ◽  
Online Patient Education
Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document