Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Atencion Primaria logoLink to Atencion Primaria
. 2013 Apr 5;31(7):409–414. [Article in Spanish] doi: 10.1016/S0212-6567(03)79199-9

¿Pueden leer los pacientes lo que pretendemos que lean? Un análisis de la legibilidad de materiales escritos de educación para la salud

Can patients read what we want them to read? Analysis of the readability of printed materials for health education

IM Barrio Cantalejo a,*, P Simón Lorda b
PMCID: PMC7679671  PMID: 12735882

Abstract

Objetive

To analyze readability and legibility of a systematic sample of health education materials made available at a health center, and to propose recommendations for improvement.

Design

Observational, descriptive study.

Setting

An urban health center in Madrid, Spain.

Material

A sample of text from 326 health education documents.

Main measures

The 326 texts were classified according to target reader, organism responsible for publication, topic, and date of publication. A sample of 500 words from each document was analyzed with Microsoft Word 2000 to determine the Flesch readability score and sentence complexity index, and to calculate the INLEG index. Print size and accompanying graphics were also analyzed.

Results

Readability of the materials was generally acceptable, with a mean Flesch score of 13.56. However, the type tended to be too small (mean 11.37 points). In 32% of the documents there were no illustrations, and no date of publication was given in 46%.

Conclusions

The readability and legibility in the group of documents we analyzed could both be improved by following the recommendations offered here. Further research is needed on the techniques used to analyze readability and legibility, especially with regard to the latter.

Key words: Legibility, Readability, Patient education, Health education

Footnotes

El presente trabajo forma parte de un estudio de mayor amplitud, titulado «¿Pueden leer los pacientes lo que pretendemos que lean?», premiado por el XXI Certamen de Enfermería San Juan de Dios.

Bibliografía

  • 1.Smith T. Information for patients: Writing simple English is difficult, even for doctors. BMJ. 1992;305:1242. doi: 10.1136/bmj.305.6864.1242. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 2.Ford S., Schofield T., Hope T. Barniers to the evidence-based patient choice (EBPC) consultation. Patient Education Counseling. 2002;47(2):179–185. doi: 10.1016/s0738-3991(01)00198-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 3.Alliende González F. La legibilidad de los textos. Andrés Bello; Santiago de Chile: 1994. p. 24. [Google Scholar]
  • 4.Merritt S., Gates M.A., Skiba K. Readability levels of selected hypercholesterolemia patient education literature. Heart & Lung. 1993;22:415–420. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 5.Valaitis R.K., Shea E. An evaluation of breastfeeding promotion literature: Does it really promote breastfeeding? Can J Public Health. 1993;84:24–27. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 6.Siminerio L.M., Frith M. Need to assess readability of written materials for diabetes education curricula. Diabetes Care. 1993;16:391–393. doi: 10.2337/diacare.16.1.391. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 7.Wells J.A. Readability of HIV/AIDS educational materials: the role of the medium of communication, target audience and producer characteristics. Patient Educ Couns. 1994;24:249–259. doi: 10.1016/0738-3991(94)90068-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 8.Feldman S.R., Vanarthos J., Fleischer A.B. The readability of patient education materials designed for patients with psoriasis. J Am Acad Dermatol. 1994;30:284–286. doi: 10.1016/s0190-9622(08)81932-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 9.Estey A., Musseau A., Keehn L. Patient’s understanding of health information: a multihospital comparison. Patient Educ Couns. 1994;24:73–78. doi: 10.1016/0738-3991(94)90027-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 10.Kenny T., Wilson R.G., Purves I.N., Clark J., Newton L.D., Newton D.P. A PIL for every ill? Patient information leaflets (PILs): a review of past, present and future use. Fam Pract. 1998;15:471–479. doi: 10.1093/fampra/15.5.471. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 11.Slaten D., Parrott R., Steiner C. Readability of skin cancer prevention brochures targeting parents of young children. J Am Acad Dermatol. 1999;40:997–999. doi: 10.1016/s0190-9622(99)70091-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 12.Payne S., Large S., Jarrett N., Turner P. Written information given to patients and families by palliative care units: a national survey. Lancet. 2000;355:1792. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(00)02272-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 13.Molina L. Readability of education materials and informed consent forms for women seeking surgical sterilization. Intern J Gynecol Obstet. 2001;73:177–178. doi: 10.1016/s0020-7292(00)00334-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 14.Barrio Cantalejo I.M., Simón Lorda P. Medición de la legibilidad de textos escritos: correlación entre método manual de Flesch y métodos informáticos. Aten Primaria. 2003;31:104–108. doi: 10.1016/S0212-6567(03)79146-X. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 15.Organización Mundial de la Salud . Eps: Manual sobre educación sanitaria en atención primaria de salud. OMS; Ginebra: 1989. p. 30. [Google Scholar]
  • 16.Microsoft Word 2000. 1983–1999 Microsoft Corporation
  • 17.Simón Lorda P., Concheiro Carro L. El consentimiento informado: teoría y práctica (II) Med Clin (Barc) 1993;101:174–182. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 18.Simón Lorda P., Barrio Cantalejo I.M., Concheiro Carro L. Legibilidad de los formularios escritos de consentimiento informado. Med Clin (Barc) 1996;107:524–529. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 19.Grupo de Educación sanitaria y promoción de la salud del PAPPS. Elaboración de folletos educativos dirigidos a pacientes. Barcelona: semFYC, s.f.; p. 20
  • 20.Simón Lorda P., Barrio Cantalejo I.M., Concheiro Carro L. Legibilidad de los formularios escritos de consentimiento informado. Med Clin (Barc) 1996;107:524–529. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 21.Microsoft Excel Versión Office 97. Microsoft Corporation. 1997 [Google Scholar]
  • 22.Germán C., Peña P., Saura S., Manglano F., Sanguesa R., Sanz C., Monzón S. Legibilidad de materiales educativos sobre Lactancia Materna en Aragón y Andalucía (1990–1997) Index Enferm (Gran) 1998;22:30–33. [Google Scholar]
  • 23.Grupo de Educación sanitaria y promoción de la salud del PAPPS. Elaboración de folletos educativos dirigidos a pacientes. Barcelona: semFYC, s.f.; p. 17,21
  • 24.Proce J.H., Everett S.A. Developing cancer pamphlets for economically disadvantaged African Americans. Patient Educ Couns. 1996;28:159–167. doi: 10.1016/0738-3991(96)00891-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 25.Joshi H.B., Newns N., Stainthorpe A., Macdonagh R.P., Keeley F.X., Timoney A.G. The development and validation of a patient-information booklet on ureteric stents. BJU International. 2001;88:329–334. doi: 10.1046/j.1464-410x.2001.02356.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Atencion Primaria are provided here courtesy of Elsevier

RESOURCES