Summary
The documents provided primarily focus on the readability and comprehension of patient education materials, specifically in the context of healthcare settings and medical research. Several studies highlight the issue of low literacy levels among patients and the potential for misunderstanding or misinterpreting important health information. This is particularly concerning in cases where patients are provided with critical information about their medications, oral contraceptive use, or informed consent for medical research.
Key findings include:
1. a study by Ratzan and Parker (1990) revealed that patient education materials are often written at a level too high for the average patient to understand.
2. Wilson (1996) emphasized the importance of considering patient literacy levels in community health settings and the need for accessible patient education materials.
3. Wong (1999) analyzed the readability of patient information leaflets on antiepileptic drugs and found that the majority were written above the recommended reading level for patients.
4. Williams, Counselman, and Caggiano (1996) discussed the disparity between emergency department discharge instructions and patient literacy levels, potentially leading to adverse health outcomes.
5. Wells (1994) studied the readability of hIV/aIDS educational materials and found that the medium of communication, target audience, and producer characteristics significantly impact readability.
Overall, these studies underscore the importance of creating understandable and accessible patient education materials to ensure patients' comprehension and adherence to medical advice.
Citation
Ratzan, Scott, Ruth Parker, Marcia Zorn, and Catherine R Selden. health Literacy. Current Bibliographies in Medicine. National Library of Medicine, 2000.
