Readability, content, and quality of COVID-19 patient education materials from academic medical centers in the United States

Background: SARS-CoV-2 has spread rapidly resulted in a global pandemic and public health crisis. The inter-net is a frequently used resource for providing patient education materials (PEMs). The aim of this study was to evaluate the readability, content, and quality of web-based PEMs on COVID-19 from US academic medical centers. Methods: The names of US medical schools were obtained from the Association of American Medical Colleges website (n = 145). Institutional, hospital, and heath encyclopedia websites associated with each schools' medical center were identified using Google. Readability of COVID-19 PEMs was calculated using three vali-dated indices: (1) Flesh-Kincaid Grade Level, (2) Simple Measure of Gobbledygook, and (3) Gunning Fre-quency of Gobbledygook. Content was evaluated using a scoring matrix based on materials available on the Center for Disease Control website. The Patient Education Material Assessment Tool for Print (PEMAT-P) was used to assess usability and actionability. Results: A total of 141 (97%) PEMs met inclusion criteria and were analyzed for readability, content, and qual-ity. The mean readability was above the recommended sixth grade reading level (P < .001). Content was vari-able across PEMs. The PEMAT-P scores reflected good understandability with a median score of 83% (IQR 75%-87%), while actionability was poor with a median score of 41% (IQR 40%-60%). Conclusions: Despite availability of web-based PEMs for COVID-19, the readability was significantly higher than the National Institute of Health and US Department of Health and Human Services recommended sixth grade reading level and actionability of PEMs was low. It is critical to provide readable PEMs on COVID-19 to effectively disseminate accurate information and facilitate patients' understanding of the virus, how it spreads, and how to protect themselves. (c) 2020 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

This study evaluated web-based patient education materials on COVID-19 from US academic medical centers and found that the readability was higher than recommended, content was variable, and the actionability was low. Providing readable and actionable PEMs is critical for effectively disseminating accurate information and facilitating patient understanding of the virus and protective measures.