Comprehensibility of patient education literature.
A survey of the mental health information literature available in NSW was made using the Flesch Formula for Reading Ease. It was found that ten out of thirteen were written at a level of complexity unintelligible to up to 60% of the general public. The literature is therefore falling far short of its potential. It is recommended that a serious attempt be made to write pamphlets in Plain English style. This process should include a Reading Ease estimation.
Le Bas
J
J
Lower North Shore Mental Health Service, Royal North Shore Hospital, St Leonards, Sydney.
D006801:Humans; D007802:Language; D001523:Mental Disorders; D009517:New South Wales; D010353:Patient Education as Topic