Using the Internet for Patient Education

Brooks, Beth A.

doi:10.1097/00006416-200109000-00011

Cited by 38 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…Despite the heavy use of web-based health information [9,10,15,24,31], only 12% of adults have the health literacy skills to navigate their health issues. According to the National Assessment of Adult Literacy [45], the mean reading level for adults in the United States is of an eighth grade level [21,22,43,51].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Most American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons’ Online Patient Education Material Exceeds Average Patient Reading Level

Eltorai

Sharma

Wang

et al. 2015

Clinical Orthopaedics &Amp; Related Research

107

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Background Advancing health literacy has the potential to improve patient outcomes. The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons' (AAOS) online patient education materials serve as a tool to improve health literacy for orthopaedic patients; however, it is unknown whether the materials currently meet the National Institutes of Health/ American Medical Association's recommended sixth grade readability guidelines for health information or the mean US adult reading level of eighth grade. Questions/purposes The purposes of this study were (1) to evaluate the mean grade level readability of online AAOS patient education materials; and (2) to determine what proportion of the online materials exceeded recommended (sixth grade) and mean US (eighth grade) reading level.Methods Reading grade levels for 99.6% (260 of 261) of the online patient education entries from the AAOS were analyzed using the Flesch-Kincaid formula built into Microsoft Word software. Results Mean grade level readability of the AAOS patient education materials was 9.2 (SD ± 1.6). Two hundred fifty-one of the 260 articles (97%) had a readability score above the sixth grade level. The readability of the AAOS articles exceeded the sixth grade level by an average of 3.2 grade levels. Of the 260 articles, 210 (81%) had a readability score above the eighth grade level, which is the average reading level of US adults. Conclusions Most of the online patient education materials from the AAOS had readability levels that are far too advanced for many patients to comprehend. Efforts to adjust the readability of online education materials to the needs of the audience may improve the health literacy of orthopaedic patients. Patient education materials can be made more comprehensible through use of simpler terms, shorter sentences, and the addition of pictures. More broadly, all health websites, not just those of the AAOS, should aspire to be comprehensible to the typical reader.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Eight million individuals in the United States go online for health information everyday [24]. Studies have demonstrated orthopaedic patients use the Internet extensively for health education materials [9,10,15,31]. Patients likely also use online education materials without being able to discuss its content with an orthopaedic surgeon.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Most American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons’ Online Patient Education Material Exceeds Average Patient Reading Level

Eltorai

Sharma

Wang

et al. 2015

Clinical Orthopaedics &Amp; Related Research

107

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…The Web site reach as measured by number of daily unique visitors of more than 35,000 adds further credibility to our sample selection [2] (oral communication, Jim Ogale, AAOS Web site staff, June 6, 2007). Numerous authors report patients seeking orthopaedic care extensively use the Internet as a resource for patient education [8,9,13,28]. Access to the Internet and its use to obtain health information are increasing globally at a rapid pace.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Access to the Internet and its use to obtain health information are increasing globally at a rapid pace. One study reported three of every four patients attending an orthopaedic clinic have access to the Internet [13]. The Pew Research Center report found, in 2006 alone, more than 100 million people in the United States searched the Internet to find health information about diseases from which they or their relatives and friends suffer [20].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Readability of Online Patient Education Materials From the AAOS Web Site

Sabharwal¹,

Badarudeen²,

Kunju³

2008

Clinical Orthopaedics &Amp; Related Research

128

156

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One of the goals of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) is to disseminate patient education materials that suit the readability skills of the patient population. According to standard guidelines from healthcare organizations, the readability of patient education materials should be no higher than the sixth-grade level. We hypothesized the readability level of patient education materials available on the AAOS Web site would be higher than the recommended grade level, regardless when the material was available online. Readability scores of all articles from the AAOS Internet-based patient information Web site, ''Your Orthopaedic Connection,'' were determined using the Flesch-Kincaid grade formula. The mean Flesch-Kincaid grade level of the 426 unique articles was 10.43. Only 10 (2%) of the articles had the recommended readability level of sixth grade or lower. The readability of the articles did not change with time. Our findings suggest the majority of the patient education materials available on the AAOS Web site had readability scores that may be too difficult for comprehension by a substantial portion of the patient population.

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“…Una buena alternativa para conseguirlo es utilizar folletos o documentos escritos que se entregan y se pueden consultar tras el alta hospitalaria. Los materiales impresos son económicos, sencillos de transportar y con contenidos fáciles de usar y mantener 12 . Sin embargo, para que la información contenida en estos documentos sea efectiva debe ser entendida por las personas a las que va destinada 13 .…”

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Legibilidad de los documentos informativos en español dirigidos a lesionados medulares y accesibles por internet

Bea-Muñoz

Medina-Sánchez

Flórez-García

2015

Anales Sis San Navarra

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Fundamento. Los lesionados medulares y sus cuidadores tienen acceso en internet a folletos que pueden usar como complemento educativo frente a formas tradicionales de educación. El objetivo del estudio es valorar la legibilidad de los documentos informativos en español, obtenidos de internet y dirigidos a lesionados medulares. Material y métodos. Se realizó una búsqueda en el buscador Google con las siguientes palabras clave: recomendación, consejo, guía, manual, autocuidado, educación e información, añadiendo lesión medular, paraplejia o tetraplejia con cada uno de los términos. Analizamos los primeras 50 resultados de cada bús-queda. La legibilidad de los folletos se estudió con los índices de Flesch-Szigriszt y el grado INFLESZ, ambos disponibles en el programa INFLESZ. También se indicó el año de publicación, el país y el número de autores de los documentos obtenidos. resultados. Se obtuvieron 16 documentos, elaborados entre 2001 y 2011. La legibilidad osciló entre 43,34 (algo difícil) y 62 (normal), con un valor medio de 51,56 (algo difícil). Solo 4 folletos (25%) presentaron un índice de Flesch-Szigriszt ≥ 55 (normal). No hay diferencias en la legibilidad según el año, los autores o el país de edición. conclusiones. La legibilidad del 75% de los documentos estudiados es "algo difícil" según la escala INFLESZ. Estos resultados coinciden con estudios previos, tanto en español como en inglés. Si conseguimos mejorar la legibilidad de este tipo de documentos, su objetivo educativo será más fácil de alcanzar. Palabras clave. Lesión medular. Legibilidad. Folletos educativos. Internet. abstract background. Patients with spinal cord injuries and their carers have access to leaflets on Internet that they can use as educational material to complement traditional forms of education. The aim of this study is to evaluate the readability of informative documents in Spanish, obtained from Internet and aimed at patients with spinal cord injuries. Methods. A search was made with the Google search engine using the following key words: recommendation, advice, guide, manual, self-care, education and information, adding spinal cord injury, paraplegia and tetraplegia to each of the terms. We analyzed the first 50 results of each search. The readability of the leaflets was studied with the Flesch-Szigriszt index and the INFLESZ scale, both available on the INFLESZ program. Also indicated were year of publication, country and number of authors of the documents obtained. results. We obtained 16 documents, developed between 2001 and 2011. Readability oscillated between 43.34 (somewhat difficult) and 62 (normal), with an average value of 51.56 (somewhat difficult). Only 4 pamphlets (25%) showed a Flesch-Szigriszt index of ≥ 55 (normal). There was no difference in readability by year, authors or country of publication. conclusions. The readability of 75% of the documents studied was "somewhat difficult" according to the IN-FLESZ scale. These results coincide with previous studies, in both Spanish and English. If the readability of thi...

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Using the Internet for Patient Education

Cited by 38 publications

References 13 publications

Most American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons’ Online Patient Education Material Exceeds Average Patient Reading Level

Most American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons’ Online Patient Education Material Exceeds Average Patient Reading Level

Readability of Online Patient Education Materials From the AAOS Web Site

Legibilidad de los documentos informativos en español dirigidos a lesionados medulares y accesibles por internet

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