Assessment of the Readability and Quality of Online Patient Education Material for Chronic Medical Conditions

Patient education materials (PEMs) were assessed from chronic health condition associations to determine their quality and if they were above the 6th grade reading level (GRL) recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and National Institutes of Health. PEMs from 55 associations were assessed for their GRL using ten readability scales and underwent a difficult word analysis. The associations had their quality assessed using two methods: the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Benchmarks and Health on the Net Foundation Code of Conduct certification (HONCode). Two thousand five hundred and ninety PEMs, collected between June and November 2021, were analyzed. The overall GRL average was 10.8 +/- 2.8, with a range of 0 to 19. Difficult word analysis showed that 15.8% +/- 4.8 contained complex words of 3 or more syllables and 25.7% +/- 6.3 contained words which were unfamiliar. No association displayed all four indicators of quality according to JAMA Benchmarks or held an up-to-date HONCode certification. The PEM readability continues to be written at a level above the recommended GRL. Additionally, the lack of quality indicators from the associations' websites may make it difficult for older adults to identify the sources as credible. This represents an opportunity to optimize materials that would be understood by a wider audience.

Automated summary

This study assessed the quality and readability level of patient education materials (PEMs) from chronic health condition associations. The findings showed that the readability level of these materials was generally higher than the recommended grade level, and there was a lack of quality indicators. It may be difficult for older adults to identify credible sources. Therefore, there is a need to optimize these materials to make them more accessible to a wider audience.