An analysis of the readability of Gynecologic Cancer patient education materials.

OBJECTIVE

The National Institute of Health (NIH) and American Medical Association (AMA) recommend patient education material be written at or below a 7th grade reading level. The objective of this study was to assess the reading level of gynecologic cancer patient education material published by National Cancer Institute designated cancer centers (NCI-DCCs) and patient-directed non-profit organizations (NPOs).

METHODS

We identified online patient education material related to ovarian, uterine, cervical, vaginal, and vulvar cancer from NCI-DCCs and NPOs. We calculated the Flesch-Kincaid reading level (FKGL), Simple Measure of Gobbledygook (SMOG), and Coleman-Liau reading level using the three online calculators. Results were compared with linear mixed models.

RESULTS

We identified 61 NCI-DCCs and 6 NPOs with patient focused information regarding cervical, ovarian, uterine, vulvar, and vaginal cancer. The mean (standard deviation [SD]) FKGL across all NCI-DCCs (n = 202) was 10.2 (1.9). Only 5.4% were at or below a 7th grade reading level for any gynecologic cancer. The FKGL from the NPOs (n = 29) was 10.0 (1.9), with 0% at or below a 7th grade reading level. The average Coleman-Liau and SMOG reading levels were also higher than a 6-7th grade reading level for both NPOs and NCI-DCCs.

CONCLUSION

Only 5.4% of NCI-DCC's and 0% of NPO's patient education sites for gynecologic cancers are at the recommended reading level of the NIH and AMA, and the majority were at or above a high school reading level. NCI-DCCs and NPOs should improve the readability of their patient education materials to ensure all patients can understand their disease.