Readability Analysis of Otolaryngology Consent Documents on the iMed Consent Platform

ABSTRACT Introduction The American Medical Association (AMA) and National Institutes of Health (NIH) recommend all patient information and consent materials be provided at the fourth- to sixth-grade level. The iMed Consent platform is used nationally by the Veterans Health Administration and private hospitals. We aimed to assess the readability of otolaryngology consents at the West Los Angeles Veterans Affairs (WLA-VA) hospital to determine whether they conform with AMA/NIH guidelines. Materials and Methods A readability analysis of 27 otolaryngology iMed consent documents was performed. The main outcome measure was the Flesch–Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL). The setting of the study was an otolaryngology clinic at a major VA hospital. All consents used in the WLA-VA otolaryngology clinic for the month of October 2018 were analyzed using readability metrics. These included the Flesch Reading Ease (FRE) score, the FKGL, the Gunning Fog Index (GFI), Simple Measure of Gobbledygook (SMOG), and Coleman–Liau Index (CLI). Results The following means of all consents were calculated for each of the readability metrics: FRE 56.3, FKGL 8.3, GFI 14.5, SMOG 11.3, and CLI 11.2. The standardized anesthesia and blood consent were analyzed separately with the following scores: FRE 45.1, FKGL 11.7, GFI 15.5, SMOG 14.6, and CLI 12.6. The average FKGL of the consents was found to be significantly above the sixth-grade level (P: .0013). Conclusion The average grade level of the otolaryngology iMed consents reviewed was at a reading level above the AMA/NIH recommendations. This objective measure should be taken into consideration when revising the iMed system and in the creation of future standardized consents. Readability analysis does not take into consideration the significant variance that exists as part of the verbal consent process that takes place between patient and provider.

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

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.

Analysis of readability of reading texts on English national examination on junior high school

This research aims to find out whether texts in the English National Examination at Junior High School. Conform with students' readability level or not. This research is research that uses quantitative methods. It aims to investigate the readability of the texts used in the English national examination texts for junior high school students. Subjects are 8 texts used in the English national examination texts. The instrument used to collect data is the Flesch Reading Ease readability formula. The results of the study it was found that the reading text on the National Examination test was not suitable for junior high school students. Based on the readability formula for the eight reading texts, there are 4 texts in the very easy category, in the easy category there is 1 text, in the quite difficult category there is 1 and there are only 2 reading texts that are suitable for students who are included in the standard category and are fairly easy. For those interested in studying readability, besides Flesch reading ease formula. The writer hopes this research can give more information for further research. The author expected to pay attention to producing better texts which suitable with the level of the students’ readability as the good text can help students to get a high score.

Writing for the Wider Public - Readability of Publicly Available Board Reports

Objective: This work aims to evaluate the readability of publicly available board reports from the Local Health Networks (LHNs) in South Australia and the National Health Service (NHS) Trusts in England. Method: Publicly available board reports from the LHNs in South Australia and NHS Trusts in England were identified, screened, and evaluated from January 2020 to August 2020. Results: The average Flesch Reading Ease score for all LHNs reviewed ranged from 34 ± 10.2 to 57 ± 0.0 (Difficult to Fairly Difficult). In comparison, the average Flesch Reading Ease score for all the NHS Foundation Trusts ranged from 46 ± 1.7 to 60 ± 3.0 (Difficult to Standard). The average Reading Ease score for metropolitan and non-metropolitan LHNs was 43 ± 8.1 and 41 ± 6.0 (Difficult to read). In contrast, the average Reading Ease score for metropolitan and non-metropolitan NHS Trust was Fairly Difficult with 53 ± 4.2 and 50 ± 3.5 respectively. Conclusion: The evaluation results suggest that there is scope for improving the quality of publicly available board reports from the boards reviewed in terms of their readability by the public.

Using a parallel corpus to adapt the Flesch Reading Ease formula to Czech

Text readability metrics assess how much effort a reader must put into comprehending a given text. They are, e.g., used to choose appropriate readings for different student proficiency levels, or to make sure that crucial information is efficiently conveyed (e.g., in an emergency). Flesch Reading Ease is such a globally used formula that it is even integrated into the MS Word Processor. However, its constants are language-dependent. The original formula was created for English. So far it has been adapted to several European languages, Bangla, and Hindi. This paper describes the Czech adaptation, with the language-dependent constants optimized by a machine-learning algorithm working on parallel corpora of Czech and English, Russian, Italian, and French, respectively.

Causality Analysis of South Africa Reserve Bank’s Monetary Policy Statements and Communication

This paper inspects whether the South Africa Reserve Bank’s (SARB) Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) statements trigger have a causality with newspaper reports from the Mail and Guardian between 2010 and 2021. The study examines whether SARB’s post MPC statements’ readability is reciprocated in the subsequent Mail and Guardian newspaper articles. Using the Flesch Reading Ease Score and Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level score as the methodology, there is a systematic unpacking of both SARB’s MPC statements and newspaper reports from the Mail and Guardian which yield a dataset which is subsequently used to create a computation. This computation is then used to examine whether SARB’s MPC statements Granger cause the subsequent Mail and Guardian newspaper articles. Resultantly, the results show that there is no Granger causality between the SARB’s MPC statements and the Mail and Guardian’s Flesch Reading Ease Score and Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level score.

Readability of patient education materials related to radiation safety: What are the implications for patient-centred radiology care?

Background Increasing numbers of patients and carers rely on online resources for healthcare information. Radiation safety can be misunderstood by patients and clinicians and lead to patient anxiety. We aimed to assess the readability of online patient educational materials (PEMs) related to radiation safety. Methods A total of 84 articles pertaining to radiation safety from 14 well-known online resources were identified. PEMs were then analysed using Readability Studio Professional Edition Version 2019. Readability was assessed using eight different instruments: the Flesch-Kincaid Reading Grade Level, Raygor Estimate, SMOG, Coleman–Liau, Fry, FORCAST, Gunning Fog, and Flesch Reading Ease Score formula. The mean reading grade level (RGL) of each article was compared to the 6th and 8th grade reading level using 1-sample t-tests. Results The cumulative mean RGL for all 84 articles was 13.3 (range = 8.6–17.4), and none were written at or below the 6th or 8th grade level. The cumulative mean RGL exceeded the 6th grade reading level by an average of 7.3 levels (95% CI, 6.8–7.8; p < 0.001) and the 8th grade level by an average of 5.3 grade levels (95% CI, 4.8–5.8; p < 0.001). The mean Flesch Reading Ease Score was 39/100 (‘difficult’). Conclusion Currently available online PEMs related to radiation safety are still written at higher than recommended reading levels. Radiation safety is a topic in which the specialist training of radiologists is crucial in providing guidance to patients. Addressing the readability of online PEMs can improve radiology-patient communication and support the shift to a patient-centred model of practice.

Words Matter: An Analysis of the Content and Readability of COVID-19 Information on Clinic Websites

Objective: To examine content and readability of COVID-19 information on outpatient clinic websites in South Carolina.Participants: Thirty-three outpatient clinic websites.Methods: Using a multi-step search strategy, we located three COVID-19 information content sections from each website. Descriptive statistics were calculated for content section characteristics (focus, information source, target population/race, presence of graphics, mobilizing information). Flesch Reading Ease (FRE), Flesch Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL), and Simple Measure of Gobbledygook (SMOG) were used to calculate reading levels. Mann Whitney U and Kruskal Wallis tests were performed to examine readability levels by clinic type (primary care vs. specialty) and content section characteristics.Results: Twenty-six clinics offered COVID-19 information; 70 content sections across all 26 clinics were analyzed. Sections focused on COVID-19 clinic policies (48.4%), prevention (22.6%), testing (19.4%), and symptoms (9.7%). 93.5% lacked target population, 41.9% provided no information source, 38.7% had no graphics, and none mentioned racial/ethnic groups. MFRE = 54.3, MFKGL = 9.9, MSMOG = 9.5.Conclusion: COVID-19 information focused mainly on clinic policy and was written at a ninth-grade skill level. Findings suggest there is opportunity for clinics to update their online content to convey more plain language and sourced information, especially for high-risk groups.

Kompleksitas Operasi, Manajemen Laba dan Keterbacaan Laporan Tahunan

This study aims to prove empirically the effect of operating complexity and earnings management on the readability of annual reports. The population in this study are all companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange (BEI) during 2016-2017. The sample in this study was selected using purposive sampling technique with a study period of 2 years (2016-2017) in order to obtain 442 observations of data. Operational complexity is measured by the number of natural logarithms of business segments and the number of natural logarithms of geographic segments, earnings management is measured by the Modified Jones Model, readability is measured by the Flesch Reading Ease score. The data analysis technique used is multiple linear regression analysis method. The results of this study indicate that the first hypothesis, operation complexity has effect on the readability of annual reports. The second hypothesis, earnings management has no effect on the readability of annual reports.

The Effect of the Implementation of a Negotiated Syllabus on the Reading Achievement of Iranian Intermediate-level EFL Learners

The present study investigated whether or not the implementation of a selective procedural Negotiated Syllabus has any effect on the reading achievement of Iranian intermediate-level EFL learners. The hypothesis assumed in this study was that the treatment would accrue no effect. The study was conducted with the participation of 61 female intermediate-level EFL learners. The participants were grouped into four classes serving the Experimental Group (EG; n = 32) and the Control Group (CG; n = 29). The learners shared a homogenous English proficiency level and background (as well as in terms of materials and instruments). The classes were randomly assigned to EG and CG. The selected element of negotiation in this study was based on the interest areas of the EG learners. An interest areas survey (IAS) based on Likert scale (from value 1 as least interesting to value 5 as most interesting) was constructed and conducted to elicit EG learners’ areas of interest on the basis of which passages with reading ease of ±2 standard deviations (by Flesch Reading Ease score) were selected. Items scoring highest on the IAS were selected for the purpose of text selection. Interest areas were not polled in the CG and the texts given to them were arbitrarily selected. In order to observe any change in learners’ reading achievement, both groups were pretested at the outset of the experiment and post-tested at the end of the experiment with a valid reading comprehension (RC) test comprising 22 multiple-choice items. A two-way two-sample t-test was conducted to compare the means difference between the gain scores of the EG and CG over the two administrations of the RC test. The results indicated that the groups had performed equally well on the experiment and no statistically significant result was observed. This study was based on the natural-occurring pre-experimental intact groups framework of research design.