title: Readability of patient-reported outcome questionnaires for use with persons with tinnitus.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The readability of 15 tinnitus-focused, patient-reported outcome (PRO) questionnaires was analyzed.
  
  
  METHODS
  Reading grade levels were analyzed using the Flesch Reading Ease, FOG, and FORCAST formulas as computed by a readability calculations software package.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results of this study demonstrate that the majority of questionnaires exceeded the fifth- to sixth-grade reading levels recommended by health literacy experts regardless of the formula applied.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In the demand for standardization of tinnitus assessment tools, developers and clinicians should consider readability as another testable construct, as poor readability may affect both validity and reliability.
authors.affiliation: Department of Audiology and Speech Pathology, University of Arkansas at Little Rock, 72204, USA. sratcherson@ualr.edu
authors.forename: Samuel R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Atcherson
authors.forename: Richard I
authors.initials: RI
authors.lastname: Zraick
authors.forename: Raven E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Brasseux
mesh_terms: D032882:Comprehension; D004522:Educational Status; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D011932:Reading; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012984:Software; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000592:standards*; D014012:Tinnitus / Q000523:psychology*