title: Readability of Healthcare Literature for Hepatitis B and C.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Patients increasingly use the Internet for educational material concerning health and diseases. This information can be utilized to teach the population of hepatitis B and C if properly written at the necessary grade level of the intended patient population.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We explored the readability of online resources concerning hepatitis B and C.
  
  
  METHODS
  Google searches were performed for "Hepatitis B" and "Hepatitis C." The Internet resources that were intended for patient education were used with specific exclusions. Articles were taken from 19 and 23 different websites focusing on the symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment of hepatitis B and C, respectively. The articles were analyzed using Readability Studio Professional Edition (Oleander Solutions, Vandalia, OH) using 10 different readability scales. The results were compared and averaged to identify the anticipated academic grade level required to understand the information.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The average readability scores of the 10 scales had ranges of 9.7-16.4 for hepatitis B and 9.2-16.4 for hepatitis C. The average academic reading grade level for hepatitis B was 12.6 ± 2.1 and for hepatitis C was 12.7 ± 2.1. There was no significant discrepancy between the hepatitis B and C Internet resource averaged grade levels.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The resources accessed by patients are higher than the previously determined necessary grade level for patients to properly understand the intended information. The American Medical Association recommends material should be simplified to grade levels below the sixth grade level to benefit the ideal proportion of the patient population.
authors.affiliation: Internal Medicine Residency Program, Department of Medicine, Temple University Health System, 812 Parkinson Pavilion, 3401 N Broad St, Philadelphia, PA, 19140, USA.
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Meillier
authors.affiliation: Internal Medicine Residency Program, Department of Medicine, Temple University Health System, 812 Parkinson Pavilion, 3401 N Broad St, Philadelphia, PA, 19140, USA.
authors.forename: Shyam
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Patel
authors.affiliation: Division of Hepatology, Department of Medicine, Temple University Health System, 812 Parkinson Pavilion, 3401 North Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19140, USA. Abdullah.Al-Osaimi@tuhs.temple.edu.
authors.forename: Abdullah M S
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Al-Osaimi
mesh_terms: D032882:Comprehension; D006509:Hepatitis B; D006526:Hepatitis C; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000592:standards*
keywords: Health literacy; Hepatitis B; Hepatitis C; Patient education