Radiology Online Patient Education Materials Provided by Major University Hospitals: Do They Conform to NIH and AMA Guidelines?

Publication date: Available online 22 May 2017
Source:Current Problems in Diagnostic Radiology
Author(s): Arpan V. Prabhu, Ashley L. Donovan, Tudor Crihalmeanu, David R. Hansberry, Nitin Agarwal, Sushil Beriwal, Hrishikesh Kale, Matthew Heller
AimsThe internet creates opportunities for Americans to access medical information about imaging tests and modalities to guide them in their medical decision-making. Due to health literacy variations in the general population, the American Medical Association and National Institutes of Health recommend patient education resources to be written between the third and seventh grade levels. Our purpose was to quantitatively assess the readability levels of online radiology educational materials, written for the public, in 20 major university hospitals.Materials and MethodsIn September and October 2016, we identified 20 major university hospitals with radiology residency-affiliated hospital systems. On each hospital's website, we downloaded all radiology-related articles written for patient use. A total of 375 articles were analyzed for readability level using 9 quantitative readability scales that are well validated in the medical literature.ResultsThe 375 articles from 20 hospital systems were collectively written at an 11.4±3.0 grade level (range 8.4-17.1). Only 11 (2.9%) articles were written at the recommended 3rd to 7th grade levels. Overall, 126 (33.6%) were written above a full high school reading level. University of Washington Medical Center's articles were the most readable with a reading level corresponding to 7.9 ±0.9.ConclusionsThe vast majority of websites at major academic hospitals with radiology residencies designed to provide patients with information about imaging were written above the nationally recommended health literacy guidelines to meet the needs of the average American. This may limit the benefit that patients can derive from these educational materials.



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