Murphy J, Gamble G, Sharpe N
Department of Medicine, University of Auckland School of Medicine.
N Z Med J. 1994 Dec 14;107(991):509-10.
To compare the readability of adult subject information leaflets prepared for medical research projects with the readability scores of a range of New Zealand newspaper editorials and popular magazine articles.
Of the 134 research projects approved by the Auckland Area Health Board in 1991, 99 were analysed together with nine randomly selected newspaper editorials and nine randomly selected articles from popular magazines. The Flesch reading ease index, the Flesch-Kincaid index and the Gunning fog index were calculated using a computerised grammar checker.
Subject information leaflets were easier to read than newspaper editorials but significantly more difficult to read than articles in popular magazines. The Flesch reading ease index showed that information leaflets had a median readability score of 53 compared with magazines which had a score of 67 and newspaper editorials which had a score of 48. The level of secondary school education required to read information leaflets was equivalent to about 2 years or form 4, whereas a level of about form 5 appears to be required to read newspaper editorials and a level of about form 1 for magazine articles.
The readability level of information leaflets prepared for participants in medical research in the Auckland area appears satisfactory and the process for reviewing this component of the research protocol appears consistent and effective. Readability scores may be a useful tool in assessing the overall ease with which written information can be read.
比较为医学研究项目编写的成年受试者信息手册的易读性与一系列新西兰报纸社论和通俗杂志文章的易读性得分。
对1991年奥克兰地区卫生局批准的134个研究项目中的99个进行分析，并随机选取9篇报纸社论和9篇通俗杂志文章一同分析。使用计算机语法检查程序计算弗莱什易读性指数、弗莱什-金凯德指数和冈宁雾度指数。
受试者信息手册比报纸社论更容易阅读，但比通俗杂志文章明显更难阅读。弗莱什易读性指数显示，信息手册的平均易读性得分为53，而杂志得分为67，报纸社论得分为48。阅读信息手册所需的中学教育水平相当于大约2年或4年级，而阅读报纸社论似乎需要大约5年级的水平，阅读杂志文章需要大约1年级的水平。
为奥克兰地区医学研究参与者编写的信息手册的易读性水平似乎令人满意，审查研究方案这一部分的过程似乎连贯且有效。易读性得分可能是评估书面信息总体易读程度的有用工具。
