Readability of patient and family education materials on pediatric surgical association websites

Abstract

Purpose: Globally, pediatric surgical association websites present patient/family education materials on an extensive list of conditions, including descriptions of the condition, signs and symptoms, diagnostic modalities, and treatment options. The purpose of this project was to assess the readability of pediatric surgical association websites' patient/family education materials.

Methods: With IRB approval, we accessed all patient/family education materials on pediatric surgical association websites from around the globe and used multiple grade-level assessments and readability assessments to determine the reading level at which the information is presented.

Results: The American Pediatric Surgical Association (APSA) website and the British Association of Paediatric Surgeons (BAPS) present publicly accessible patient/family education materials. Seventy-four (74) conditions on APSA's website were analyzed. Three grade-level assessments and the Flesch Reading Ease assessment indicated that the articles are written at high school reading levels. No articles were available in languages other than English. BAPS presented 6 conditions, most of which were more readable than their APSA counterparts.

Conclusions: Our analysis indicates that the patient/family education materials available on pediatric surgical association websites may not be written at a level that is comprehensible by the general population. Potential solutions include re-writing the materials with an emphasis on readability and presenting materials in languages other than English.

Level of evidence: V.

Keywords: Health literacy; Pediatric surgery; Readability.