Comparative Readability Analysis of Online Patient Education Resources on Inflammatory Bowel Diseases
Background. The National Institutes of Health recommend a readability grade level of less than 7th grade for patient directed information. In this study, we use validated readability metrics to analyze patient information from prominent websites pertaining to ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease....
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| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2017-01-01
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| Series: | Canadian Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2017/3681989 |
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| author | Rishabh Gulati Mohammad Nawaz Linh Lam Nikolaos T. Pyrsopoulos |
| author_facet | Rishabh Gulati Mohammad Nawaz Linh Lam Nikolaos T. Pyrsopoulos |
| author_sort | Rishabh Gulati |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background. The National Institutes of Health recommend a readability grade level of less than 7th grade for patient directed information. In this study, we use validated readability metrics to analyze patient information from prominent websites pertaining to ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. Methods. The terms “Crohn’s Disease,” “Ulcerative Colitis,” and “Inflammatory Bowel Disease” were queried on Google and Bing. Websites containing patient education material were saved as a text file and then modified through expungement of medical terminology that was described within the text. Modified text was then divided into subsections that were analyzed using six validated readability scales. Results. None of the websites analyzed in this study achieved an estimated reading grade level below the recommended 7th grade. The median readability grade level (after modification) was 11.5 grade levels for both Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. The treatment subsection required the highest level of education with a median readability grade of 12th grade (range of 6.9 to 17). Conclusion. Readability of online patient education material from the analyzed popular websites far exceeds the recommended level of being less than 7th grade. Patient education resources should be revised to achieve wider health literacy. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-7e90e84139934c9a9e37ac5962fac3fd |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2291-2789 2291-2797 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2017-01-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Canadian Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology |
| spelling | doaj-art-7e90e84139934c9a9e37ac5962fac3fd2025-08-20T02:08:58ZengWileyCanadian Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology2291-27892291-27972017-01-01201710.1155/2017/36819893681989Comparative Readability Analysis of Online Patient Education Resources on Inflammatory Bowel DiseasesRishabh Gulati0Mohammad Nawaz1Linh Lam2Nikolaos T. Pyrsopoulos3Department of Medicine, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Newark, NJ, USADepartment of Medicine, State University of New York, Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY, USADepartment of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, CanadaDivision of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Newark, NJ, USABackground. The National Institutes of Health recommend a readability grade level of less than 7th grade for patient directed information. In this study, we use validated readability metrics to analyze patient information from prominent websites pertaining to ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. Methods. The terms “Crohn’s Disease,” “Ulcerative Colitis,” and “Inflammatory Bowel Disease” were queried on Google and Bing. Websites containing patient education material were saved as a text file and then modified through expungement of medical terminology that was described within the text. Modified text was then divided into subsections that were analyzed using six validated readability scales. Results. None of the websites analyzed in this study achieved an estimated reading grade level below the recommended 7th grade. The median readability grade level (after modification) was 11.5 grade levels for both Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. The treatment subsection required the highest level of education with a median readability grade of 12th grade (range of 6.9 to 17). Conclusion. Readability of online patient education material from the analyzed popular websites far exceeds the recommended level of being less than 7th grade. Patient education resources should be revised to achieve wider health literacy.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2017/3681989 |
| spellingShingle | Rishabh Gulati Mohammad Nawaz Linh Lam Nikolaos T. Pyrsopoulos Comparative Readability Analysis of Online Patient Education Resources on Inflammatory Bowel Diseases Canadian Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology |
| title | Comparative Readability Analysis of Online Patient Education Resources on Inflammatory Bowel Diseases |
| title_full | Comparative Readability Analysis of Online Patient Education Resources on Inflammatory Bowel Diseases |
| title_fullStr | Comparative Readability Analysis of Online Patient Education Resources on Inflammatory Bowel Diseases |
| title_full_unstemmed | Comparative Readability Analysis of Online Patient Education Resources on Inflammatory Bowel Diseases |
| title_short | Comparative Readability Analysis of Online Patient Education Resources on Inflammatory Bowel Diseases |
| title_sort | comparative readability analysis of online patient education resources on inflammatory bowel diseases |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2017/3681989 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT rishabhgulati comparativereadabilityanalysisofonlinepatienteducationresourcesoninflammatoryboweldiseases AT mohammadnawaz comparativereadabilityanalysisofonlinepatienteducationresourcesoninflammatoryboweldiseases AT linhlam comparativereadabilityanalysisofonlinepatienteducationresourcesoninflammatoryboweldiseases AT nikolaostpyrsopoulos comparativereadabilityanalysisofonlinepatienteducationresourcesoninflammatoryboweldiseases |