Internet-derived Patient Information on Common Oral Pathologies: Is it Readable?

2004 ◽  
Vol os11 (2) ◽  
pp. 51-54 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ivor G Chestnutt
Keyword(s):  
Patient Information ◽  
Reading Level ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Intended Audience ◽  
Entry Level ◽  
The Public ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Internet Searches ◽  
The Uk

Background The evolution of the Internet has made available to the public vast reserves of information, and it represents a tremendous educational resource. However, it is obviously important that information directed at patients is readable and understandable. Objective This study aimed to evaluate the readability of patient-related Internet sites presenting information on dental caries, periodontal disease, oral cancer and mouth ulcers. Methodology Four separate Internet searches seeking patient information on these pathologies were conducted in May 2003. In total, 5127 sites were identified. Within each search, the first 25 sites identified as of relevance to patients seeking information were downloaded (100 in total), and the readability determined using the Flesch reading score and the Flesch-Kinkaid reading level. Results A wide range of reading ease scores was obtained, equating to reading ages from seven years to university entry level. The mean reading age of the sites evaluated was 10–11 years of age, higher than the estimated reading age of the UK population in general (nine years). Scores were broadly similar across different pathologies. Conclusions Practitioners and other members of the dental team involved in patient education should be aware that additional advice and support may be required to help patients interpret material downloaded from the Internet. Furthermore, those practices presenting educational material on their practice website should bear in mind the need to ensure that it is pitched at a level appropriate to the intended audience.

scholarly journals Readability of internet-based patient information for radiotherapy patients

2018 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 142-150
Author(s):  
David Flinton ◽  
Manrita K. Singh ◽  
Krupesh Haria
Keyword(s):  
Health Information ◽  
Patient Information ◽  
Software Package ◽  
Informed Choice ◽  
Reading Level ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Passive Voice ◽  
Number Of Factors ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Right

AbstractBackgroundInformation is key to patient informed choice and the internet is currently a major source of health information for adults in the UK. In order for the users to make use of the information it must be presented in a way that the user can understand. This depends on a number of factors one being that the document is written at the right level to be understood by the reader, readability.AimThe aim of this study was to assess the readability of radiotherapy-related documents on the internet and compare their levels to published norms.MethodAn internet search was undertaken using Google, to identify UK-based literature. Once identified documents were downloaded into Word and cleaned of punctuation other than that at the end of the sentence, documents were then analysed by the software package Readability Studio.Results and conclusionsDocuments tended to be written at too high a reading level, but the reading level had improved from a similar study conducted in 2006. The level of readability appears to show a relationship to the use of passive voice, which was very variable in the sample collected and reduction in the use of passive voice could help with the readability of the information.

scholarly journals What does the UK public want from academic science communication?

F1000Research ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 1261 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Redfern ◽  
Sam Illingworth ◽  
Joanna Verran
Keyword(s):  
Digital Media ◽  
Science Communication ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Academic Science ◽  
Open Door ◽  
Intended Audience ◽  
The Public ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Hands On ◽  
The Uk

The overall aim of public academic science communication is to engage a non-scientist with a particular field of science and/or research topic, often driven by the expertise of the academic. An e-survey was designed to provide insight into respondent’s current and future engagement with science communication activities. Respondents provided a wide range of ideas and concerns as to the ‘common practice’ of academic science communication, and whilst they support some of these popular approaches (such as open-door events and science festivals), there are alternatives that may enable wider engagement. Suggestions of internet-based approaches and digital media were strongly encouraged, and although respondents found merits in methods such as science festivals, limitations such as geography, time and topic of interest were a barrier to engagement for some. Academics and scientists need to think carefully about how they plan their science communication activities and carry out evaluations, including considering the point of view of the public, as although defaulting to hands-on open door events at their university may seem like the expected standard, it may not be the best way to reach the intended audience.

Marketing Town Centres: Retailing and Town Centre Management

2005 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 183-204 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gary Warnaby ◽  
David Bennison ◽  
Barry J. Davies
Keyword(s):  
Marketing Strategies ◽  
Place Marketing ◽  
Marketing Practice ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
The Public ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Town Centre ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Consensual Approach

The role of town centre management (TCM) schemes in the UK has expanded to incorporate a more overt and explicit focus on marketing and promotion. This paper considers the marketing/promotional activities of TCM schemes in the UK. TCM schemes operate at the interface of the public and private sectors. The implications of this are discussed, including the need for a consensual approach by a wide range of urban stakeholders, and the actual activities undertaken, influenced by the funding imperative under which such schemes operate (which impacts on the feasibility of certain activities and the efforts made to evaluate them). Comparisons are drawn between specific place marketing practice by TCM schemes and wider place marketing strategies.

Recommendations of the Puttnam Report1

2018 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Northern Ireland ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Television System ◽  
Entry Level ◽  
The Public ◽  
Faith Based ◽  
Current Affairs ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Children's Programming

This chapter presents the recommendations of the Puttnam Report. It covers recommendations for the BBC, Channel 4, ITV, and Channel 5. It proposes the establishment of a new fund for public service content. It also discusses the dissatisfaction with the performance of public service television from ethnic, regional, national and faith-based minorities; the failure of the public service television system to reflect the changing constitutional shape of the UK such that audiences in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, and the English regions; the decline in investment in some of the genres traditionally associated with public service television: arts, current affairs and children's programming; and the need for a more consolidated approach to maximising entry-level opportunities and increasing investment in training and professional development at all levels of the industry.

The UK Policy Agendas Project

2019 ◽  
pp. 176-183
Author(s):  
Shaun Bevan ◽  
Will Jennings
Keyword(s):  
Front Page ◽  
British Politics ◽  
Policy Agenda ◽  
The Public ◽  
External Pressures ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Policy Agendas ◽  
The Times ◽  
Rich Data ◽  
The Uk

The UK Policy Agendas Project has collected a wide range of data on the policy agenda of major institutional venues in British politics and on the public and media agendas. This rich data source allows systematic and consistent analysis across institutions, and across countries, extending back over a century in the case of some agendas. The data provide measures of the policy agenda of the executive (the Speech from the Throne) and the legislature (Acts of UK Parliament), along with aggregate survey data about the public agenda (public opinion about the most important problem), media (front-page stories of The Times), Prime Minister’s Questions, and bills and hearings of the Scottish Parliament. Through its extensive collection of data, the project has enabled novel insights into the policy agenda of UK government, how it responds to shocks and external pressures, and how patterns of policy change and stability compare to other countries.

scholarly journals About this title - Geological Hazards in the UK: Their Occurrence, Monitoring and Mitigation – Engineering Group Working Party Report

2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. NP-NP
Author(s):  
D. P. Giles ◽  
J. S. Griffiths
Keyword(s):  
Working Party ◽  
Volcanic Eruptions ◽  
Engineering Geologist ◽  
Geological Hazards ◽  
Geological Time ◽  
Full Spectrum ◽  
The Public ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Swelling And Shrinking

The UK is perhaps unique globally in that it presents the full spectrum of geological time, stratigraphy and associated lithologies within its boundaries. With this wide range of geological assemblages comes a wide range of geological hazards, whether they be geophysical (earthquakes, effects of volcanic eruptions, tsunami, landslides), geotechnical (collapsible, compressible, liquefiable, shearing, swelling and shrinking soils), geochemical (dissolution, radon and methane gas hazards) or georesource related (coal, chalk and other mineral extraction). An awareness of these hazards and the risks that they pose is a key requirement of the engineering geologist.The Geological Society considered that a Working Party Report would help to put the study and assessment of geohazards into the wider social context, helping the engineering geologist to better communicate the issues concerning geohazards in the UK to the client and the public. This volume sets out to define and explain these geohazards, to detail their detection, monitoring and management and to provide a basis for further research and understanding.

The Business of Sigint

2010 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 85-97 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sir David Pepper
Keyword(s):  
Cold War ◽  
Business Processes ◽  
International Terrorism ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Intelligence Agency ◽  
The Public ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Management Techniques ◽  
The Cold War ◽  
General Adoption

GCHQ is the UK’s Signals Intelligence agency. The end of the Cold War, the growth of international terrorism and the arrival and subsequent explosive growth of the Internet radically changed the environment in which it had to operate. Recognition of these pressures led GCHQ to begin a wide-ranging change programme in the late 1990s. It included not only technology but also deep change in business processes, leadership and culture. A critically important feature of these changes has been the adoption, and when necessary adaptation, of a wide range of management techniques taken from the private sector. The article examines the range of techniques in question, looking at the extent to which each had to be adapted. It concludes by considering the issues that arise in the general adoption of such techniques in the public sector, concluding that that are no insurmountable obstacles.

scholarly journals Sense and readability: Participant information sheets for research studies

2016 ◽  
Vol 208 (2) ◽  
pp. 189-194 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liam Ennis ◽  
Til Wykes
Keyword(s):  
Patient Information ◽  
Grade Level ◽  
Ethics Committees ◽  
Reading Level ◽  
Research Network ◽  
Successful Recruitment ◽  
Study Characteristics ◽  
The Uk ◽  
High Level ◽  
Participant Information

BackgroundInformed consent in research is partly achieved through the use of information sheets. There is a perception however that these information sheets are long and complex. The recommended reading level for patient information is grade 6, or 11–12 years old.AimsTo investigate whether the readability of participant information sheets has changed over time, whether particular study characteristics are related to poorer readability and whether readability and other study characteristics are related to successful study recruitment.MethodWe obtained 522 information sheets from the UK National Institute for Health Research Clinical Research Network: Mental Health portfolio database and study principal investigators. Readability was assessed with the Flesch reading index and the Grade level test.ResultsInformation sheets increased in length over the study period. The mean grade level across all information sheets was 9.8, or 15–16 years old. A high level of patient involvement was associated with more recruitment success and studies involving pharmaceutical or device interventions were the least successful. The complexity of information sheets had little bearing on successful recruitment.ConclusionsInformation sheets are far more complex than the recommended reading level of grade 6 for patient information. The disparity may be exacerbated by an increasing focus on legal content. Researchers would benefit from clear guidance from ethics committees on writing succinctly and accessibly and how to balance the competing legal issues with the ability of participants to understand what a study entails.

scholarly journals Interlending and resource sharing in UK public libraries: A mixed methods study

2016 ◽  
Vol 50 (2) ◽  
pp. 168-185 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon Wakeling ◽  
Sophie Rutter ◽  
Briony Birdi ◽  
Stephen Pinfield
Keyword(s):  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Resource Sharing ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Public Library ◽  
Mixed Methods Study ◽  
The Public ◽  
Library Funding ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact

This paper presents the results of a mixed methods study of interlending and resource sharing in UK public libraries, based on the results of a survey distributed to both senior library managers and interlending staff, and in-depth follow-up interviews with 20 respondents. We present an analysis of perspectives towards rates of interlending, the rationales and strategies for providing the service, the perceived value for money offered by various interlending schemes, the impact of the current digital environment, and views on the future of interlending in the UK. Our findings suggest that while interlending services are undoubtedly threatened by the drastic cuts to public library funding, and that demand for the service is more generally in decline, resource sharing is viewed by some as a potential means of mitigating the effects of increasingly limited acquisitions budgets, and ensuring the public library system continues to provide access to a wide range of resources for its users.

Reading Ability of Parents Compared With Reading Level of Pediatric Patient Education Materials

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1994 ◽  
Vol 93 (3) ◽  
pp. 460-468 ◽  
Author(s):  
Terry C. Davis ◽  
E. J. Mayeaux ◽  
Doren Fredrickson ◽  
Joseph A. Bocchini ◽  
Robert H. Jackson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Grade Level ◽  
Reading Ability ◽  
Reading Level ◽  
Educational Materials ◽  
Wide Range Achievement Test ◽  
American Academy Of Pediatrics ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Pediatric Outpatients ◽  
Wide Range Achievement

Objectives. To test the reading ability of parents of pediatric outpatients and to compare their reading ability with the ability necessary to read commonly used educational materials; to compare individual reading grade levels with the levels of the last grade completed in school; and to further validate a new literacy screening test designed specifically for medical settings. Design. Prospective survey. Setting. Pediatrics outpatient clinic in a large, public university, teaching hospital. Participants. Three hundred ninety-six parents or other caretakers accompanying pediatric outpatients. Measurements. Demographics and educational status were assessed using a structured interview. Reading ability was tested using the Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine (REALM) and the Wide Range Achievement Test-Revised2. Written educational materials were assessed for readability levels with a computer program (Grammatik IV). Results. The mean score on the REALM for all parents placed them in the seventh to eighth grade reading range, despite the mean self-reported last grade completed in school being 11th grade 5th month. Wide Range Achievement Test-Revised2 scores correlated well with REALM scores (0.82). Eighty percent of 129 written materials from the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Centers for Disease Control, the March of Dimes, pharmaceutical companies, and commercially available baby books required at least a 10th grade reading level. Only 25% of 60 American Academy of Pediatrics items and 19% of all materials tested were written at less than a ninth grade level, and only 2% of all materials were written at less than a seventh grade level. Conclusion. This study demonstrates that parents' self-reported education level will not accurately indicate their reading ability. Testing is needed to screen at-risk parents for low reading levels. In a public health setting, a significant amount of available parent education materials and instructions require a higher reading level than most parents have achieved. In such settings, all materials probably should be written at less than a high school level if most parents are to be expected to read them. The REALM can easily be used in busy public health clinics to screen parents for reading ability.

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