Table II.
Individual reading level scores for each of the 6 articles and 9 tests*
| Assessment | Arthritis and Total Shoulder Replacement | Arthroscopy of the Shoulder and Elbow | Rehabilitation of the Shoulder | Rotator Cuff Tendinitis and Tears | Tennis Elbow | The Unstable Shoulder | Average ± SD | P value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Automated Readability Index | 15.6 | 13.6 | 13.5 | 14.7 | 12.2 | 14.8 | 13.9 ± 1.3 | <.001 |
| Coleman-Liau | 15.5 | 12.6 | 16.7 | 12.9 | 12.9 | 14.3 | 14.1 ± 1.9 | <.001 |
| New Dale-Chall | 14.0 | 11.5 | 14.0 | 14.0 | 11.5 | 14.0 | 13 ± 1.4 | <.001 |
| Flesch-Kincaid | 14.2 | 13.0 | 13.6 | 14.0 | 12.6 | 14.5 | 13.5 ± 0.7 | <.001 |
| FORCAST | 12.4 | 11.1 | 12.5 | 11.3 | 11.8 | 11.6 | 11.8 ± 0.6 | <.001 |
| Fry | 17.0 | 14.0 | N/A | 15.0 | 16.0 | 17.0 | 15.5 ± 1.3 | <.001 |
| Gunning Fog | 16.7 | 16.1 | 17.0 | 17.2 | 14.6 | 17.5 | 16.5 ± 1.1 | <.001 |
| Raygor Estimate | 17.0 | 13.0 | N/A | 17.0 | 13.0 | 17.0 | 15.4 ± 2.2 | .03 |
| SMOG | 15.5 | 15.3 | 14.6 | 15.5 | 14.1 | 15.8 | 15.1 ± 0.7 | <.001 |
| Average ± SD | 15.3 ± 1.7 | 13.4 ± 1.6 | 14.6 ± 1.9 | 14.6 ± 2 | 13.2 ± 1.5 | 15.2 ± 2 | ||
| P value | <.001 | <0.001 | <.001 | <.001 | <.001 | <.001 |
SD, standard deviation; SMOG, Simple Measure of Gobbledygook.
*
Average readability scores and associated P values for each test are in the far right column. Average readability scores and associated P values for each brochure are in the bottom row.