Adam E.M. Eltorai|Pranav Sharma|Jing Wang|Alan H. Daniels
Most American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons’ Online Patient Education Material Exceeds Average Patient Reading Level
Brown University|Providence College|Brown University|Providence College|Brown University|Providence College|Rhode Island Hospital|Providence College|Brown University
advancing health literacy potential improve patient outcomes american academy orthopaedic surgeons aaos online patient education materials serve tool improve health literacy orthopaedic patients however unknown whether materials currently meet national institutes healthamerican medical associations recommended sixth grade readability guidelines health information mean us adult reading level eighth gradethe purposes study 1 evaluate mean grade level readability online aaos patient education materials 2 determine proportion online materials exceeded recommended sixth grade mean us eighth grade reading levelreading grade levels 996 260 261 online patient education entries aaos analyzed using fleschkincaid formula built microsoft word softwaremean grade level readability aaos patient education materials 92 sd 16 two hundred fiftyone 260 articles 97 readability score sixth grade level readability aaos articles exceeded sixth grade level average 32 grade levels 260 articles 210 81 readability score eighth grade level average reading level us adultsmost online patient education materials aaos readability levels far advanced many patients comprehend efforts adjust readability online education materials needs audience may improve health literacy orthopaedic patients patient education materials made comprehensible use simpler terms shorter sentences addition pictures broadly health websites aaos aspire comprehensible typical reader