Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA.
Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA; West Los Angeles Veterans Health Administration, Los Angeles, CA.
J Vasc Surg. 2022 Dec;76(6):1728-1732. doi: 10.1016/j.jvs.2022.07.022. Epub 2022 Aug 2.
Online resources can be a valuable source of information for patients and have been shown to result in more inquiry during medical office visits, following physician medical recommendation more closely, and making self-directed lifestyle changes. The accessibility to these resources is limited by the readability level of the article and the literacy level of the population. Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is estimated to affect between 8 and 12 million people in the United States with greater disease severity among under insured or uninsured populations. As PAD continues to increase in prevalence, it is imperative that patients have access to comprehensible patient-centered health information. This study aims to evaluate the readability of online PAD patient education materials.
The search engine Google was used to collect the first 25 patient-accessible online articles pertaining to the search term "peripheral artery disease." Articles were then categorized by source type: hospital, professional society, or other. Readability was measured using the following tests: Automated Readability Index, Coleman-Liau Index, Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level, Gunning Fog, Linsear Write Formula, and the SMOG Index. Statistical analyses were performed using Statistical Analysis Software, with P values less than .05 being statistically significant.
Twenty-five articles were categorized by source and statistically analyzed. The average readability of PAD patient education materials was 10.8 and significantly above the American Medical Association, National Institutes of Health, and US Department of Health and Human Services recommended reading level of sixth grade. Readability scores among source categories were not significantly different.
Commonly available online PAD resources are written at a grade level above that currently recommended by medical societies. Hospitals, professional societies, and other stakeholders in PAD patient education should take into consideration the readability of their materials to make medicine more accessible. Readable articles may combat the historic and structural racism often found in our health care system that marginalizes those with lower health literacy. It is imperative to develop patient education at an appropriate level to enrich patient autonomy.
在线资源可以成为患者的有价值信息来源，并且已经证明可以在就诊期间增加更多的查询，更密切地遵循医生的医疗建议，并进行自我指导的生活方式改变。这些资源的可访问性受到文章的可读性和人口的识字水平的限制。外周动脉疾病 (PAD) 估计在美国影响 800 万至 1200 万人，在保险不足或没有保险的人群中疾病严重程度更高。随着 PAD 的患病率持续上升，患者必须能够获得通俗易懂的以患者为中心的健康信息。本研究旨在评估在线 PAD 患者教育材料的可读性。
使用搜索引擎 Google 收集与搜索词“外周动脉疾病”相关的前 25 篇患者可访问的在线文章。然后根据来源类型对文章进行分类：医院、专业协会或其他。使用以下测试来衡量可读性：自动可读性指数、Coleman-Liau 指数、弗莱什-金凯德年级水平、Gunning Fog、Linsear 写作公式和 SMOG 指数。使用统计分析软件进行统计分析，P 值小于.05 为统计学显著。
对 25 篇文章进行了分类和统计分析。PAD 患者教育材料的平均可读性为 10.8，明显高于美国医学协会、美国国立卫生研究院和美国卫生与公众服务部推荐的六年级阅读水平。来源类别的可读性评分没有显著差异。
常用的在线 PAD 资源的编写水平高于医学协会目前推荐的水平。PAD 患者教育的医院、专业协会和其他利益相关者应考虑其材料的可读性，以使医学更易于理解。易读的文章可能会消除我们的医疗保健系统中经常存在的历史性和结构性种族主义，这种种族主义使那些健康素养较低的人处于不利地位。开发适当水平的患者教育对于增强患者自主性至关重要。
