title: Readability assessment of internet-based patient education materials related to uterine artery embolization.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the readability of Internet-based patient education materials (IPEMs) created by United States hospitals and universities and clinical practices and miscellaneous health care-associated Web sites regarding uterine artery embolization (UAE) as a marker for IPEMs in general.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two hundred unique Web sites were evaluated for patient-related articles on UAE. Web sites produced by US hospitals and universities and clinical practices, as well as miscellaneous health care-associated Web sites meeting the Health on the Net Foundation Code of Conduct criteria were included in the database. By using mathematical regression algorithms based on word and sentence length to quantitatively analyze reading materials for language intricacy, readability of 40 UAE-related IPEMs was assessed with four indices: Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL), Flesch Reading Ease Score (FRES), Simple Measure of Gobbledygook (SMOG), and Gunning Frequency of Gobbledygook (GFOG). Scores were evaluated against national recommendations, and intergroup analysis was performed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  None of the IPEMs were written at or below the sixth-grade reading level, based on FKGL. The mean readability scores were as follows: FRES, 43.98; FKGL, 10.76; SMOG, 13.63; and GFOG, 14.55. These scores indicate that the readability of UAE IPEMs is written at an advanced level, significantly above the recommended 6th grade reading level (P<.05) determined by the United States Department of Health and Human Services.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  IPEMs related to UAE generated by hospitals, clinical practices, and miscellaneous health care-associated Web sites are written above the recommended sixth grade level. IPEMs for other disease entities may also reflect similar results.
authors: Department of Radiology, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, New Jersey Medical School, 150 Bergen St., UH CC-318, Newark, NJ 07101, USA.
authors: Pratik
authors: P
authors: Shukla
authors: Saurin P
authors: SP
authors: Sanghvi
authors: Valdis M
authors: VM
authors: Lelkes
authors: Abhishek
authors: A
authors: Kumar
authors: Sohail
authors: S
authors: Contractor
mesh_terms: D022126:Access to Information; D000465:Algorithms; D032882:Comprehension; D004521:Educational Measurement; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D057220:Health Literacy; D006801:Humans; D033181:Information Dissemination; D020407:Internet; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000379:methods*; D014481:United States; D055357:Uterine Artery Embolization / Q000009:adverse effects