Readability analysis of pediatric otolaryngology patient-reported outcome measures.
Int J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol
; 140: 110550, 2021 Jan.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-33316760
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE:
(s) Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) are tools that allow patients to directly share information about their health with their healthcare provider. Health literacy experts recommend that health information, such as PROMs, be written at a 6th grade level to ensure patients can read and comprehend it. As the readability of PROMs used in pediatric otolaryngology has yet to be studied, our goal was to analyze the readability of these PROMs and assess their compliance with readability recommendations.METHODS:
The Gunning Fog, the Simple Measure of Gobbledygook (SMOG), and the FORCAST readability formulas were used to determine the readability of disease-specific PROMs for pediatric otolaryngology.RESULTS:
Fourteen PROMs were reviewed in the study. Most were intended for caregiver completion (n = 13, 92.9%). Ten PROMs when measured by Gunning Fog (71.4%), 2 PROMs when measured by SMOG (14.3%), and 0 PROMs when measured by FORCAST (0.0%) were at or below the 6th grade reading level.CONCLUSION:
Most PROMs available for use in pediatric otolaryngology are above the recommended 6th grade reading level when measured by FORCAST, the most appropriate metric for assessing questionnaires. The high reading grade level needed to complete these PROMs can contribute to health disparities among underserved and vulnerable populations, such as children. Pediatric otolaryngology PROMs developed in the future should take readability into account in order to ensure equity in the delivery of care.Key words
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Otolaryngology
/
Health Literacy
Aspects:
Equity_inequality
/
Patient_preference
Limits:
Child
/
Humans
Language:
En
Journal:
Int J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol
Year:
2021
Document type:
Article