Both English- and Spanish-Language Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction Online Patient Education Materials Are Written at Higher-Than-Recommended Reading Levels
Purpose: To examine the overall reading levels of anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction online patient education materials (OPEMs) written in English and Spanish. Methods: We conducted Google searches for OPEMs using “ACL surgery” and “cirugía LCA” as English and Spanish search terms, respective...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2024-12-01
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| Series: | Arthroscopy, Sports Medicine, and Rehabilitation |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666061X24001093 |
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| author | Jacob S. Ghahremani, B.A. Michael Chapek, B.A. Virginia Xie, B.A. Tanya Watarastaporn, B.S., M.S. Nala A. Al-Khatib, B.S. Ronald A. Navarro, M.D. |
| author_facet | Jacob S. Ghahremani, B.A. Michael Chapek, B.A. Virginia Xie, B.A. Tanya Watarastaporn, B.S., M.S. Nala A. Al-Khatib, B.S. Ronald A. Navarro, M.D. |
| author_sort | Jacob S. Ghahremani, B.A. |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Purpose: To examine the overall reading levels of anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction online patient education materials (OPEMs) written in English and Spanish. Methods: We conducted Google searches for OPEMs using “ACL surgery” and “cirugía LCA” as English and Spanish search terms, respectively. Several measures of readability were used to analyze 25 English-language OPEMs (Flesch Reading Ease, Flesch Reading Ease Grade Level, Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level, Coleman-Liau Index, Gunning Fog Index, and Simple Measure of Gobbledygook) and 25 Spanish-language OPEMs (Fernández-Huerta Index, Fernández-Huerta Grade Level, and Índice de Legibilidad de Flesch-Szigriszt). English- and Spanish-language OPEMs were compared based on mean overall grade level and number of OPEMs written below a seventh- or ninth-grade reading level. Results: English-language OPEMs showed a higher mean overall grade level than Spanish-language OPEMs (10.48 ± 1.86 vs 8.64 ± 1.22, P < .001). No significant differences were noted in the number of OPEMs written below a seventh-grade reading level. However, significantly more Spanish-language OPEMs were written below a ninth-grade reading level compared with English-language OPEMs (56% vs 16%, P = .003). Conclusions: Although Spanish-language OPEMs were written at a lower reading level, average readability for both English- and Spanish-language OPEMs was significantly higher than the recommended level. Across both languages, only a single English-language webpage met the American Medical Association–recommended sixth-grade reading level. More Spanish-language articles were written at or below the average adult reading level in the United States. Clinical Relevance: It is imperative that patient educational materials be written at a reading level that is understood by the most patients. This is especially true for OPEMs, when a medical provider is not present to answer questions. Therefore, it is important to evaluate the reading level of OPEMs to determine whether they are written at an appropriate level for the best patient understanding. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-b10b86f311f34ad99ed42ce11e92867c |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2666-061X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-12-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Arthroscopy, Sports Medicine, and Rehabilitation |
| spelling | doaj-art-b10b86f311f34ad99ed42ce11e92867c2024-12-12T05:23:12ZengElsevierArthroscopy, Sports Medicine, and Rehabilitation2666-061X2024-12-0166100982Both English- and Spanish-Language Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction Online Patient Education Materials Are Written at Higher-Than-Recommended Reading LevelsJacob S. Ghahremani, B.A.0Michael Chapek, B.A.1Virginia Xie, B.A.2Tanya Watarastaporn, B.S., M.S.3Nala A. Al-Khatib, B.S.4Ronald A. Navarro, M.D.5Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine, Pasadena, California, U.S.A.; Address correspondence to Jacob S. Ghahremani, B.A., Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine, 98 S Los Robles Ave, Pasadena, CA 91101, U.S.A.Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine, Pasadena, California, U.S.A.Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine, Pasadena, California, U.S.A.Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine, Pasadena, California, U.S.A.Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine, Pasadena, California, U.S.A.Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine, Pasadena, California, U.S.A.; Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Kaiser Permanente Southern California Permanente Medical Group, Pasadena, California, U.S.A.Purpose: To examine the overall reading levels of anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction online patient education materials (OPEMs) written in English and Spanish. Methods: We conducted Google searches for OPEMs using “ACL surgery” and “cirugía LCA” as English and Spanish search terms, respectively. Several measures of readability were used to analyze 25 English-language OPEMs (Flesch Reading Ease, Flesch Reading Ease Grade Level, Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level, Coleman-Liau Index, Gunning Fog Index, and Simple Measure of Gobbledygook) and 25 Spanish-language OPEMs (Fernández-Huerta Index, Fernández-Huerta Grade Level, and Índice de Legibilidad de Flesch-Szigriszt). English- and Spanish-language OPEMs were compared based on mean overall grade level and number of OPEMs written below a seventh- or ninth-grade reading level. Results: English-language OPEMs showed a higher mean overall grade level than Spanish-language OPEMs (10.48 ± 1.86 vs 8.64 ± 1.22, P < .001). No significant differences were noted in the number of OPEMs written below a seventh-grade reading level. However, significantly more Spanish-language OPEMs were written below a ninth-grade reading level compared with English-language OPEMs (56% vs 16%, P = .003). Conclusions: Although Spanish-language OPEMs were written at a lower reading level, average readability for both English- and Spanish-language OPEMs was significantly higher than the recommended level. Across both languages, only a single English-language webpage met the American Medical Association–recommended sixth-grade reading level. More Spanish-language articles were written at or below the average adult reading level in the United States. Clinical Relevance: It is imperative that patient educational materials be written at a reading level that is understood by the most patients. This is especially true for OPEMs, when a medical provider is not present to answer questions. Therefore, it is important to evaluate the reading level of OPEMs to determine whether they are written at an appropriate level for the best patient understanding.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666061X24001093 |
| spellingShingle | Jacob S. Ghahremani, B.A. Michael Chapek, B.A. Virginia Xie, B.A. Tanya Watarastaporn, B.S., M.S. Nala A. Al-Khatib, B.S. Ronald A. Navarro, M.D. Both English- and Spanish-Language Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction Online Patient Education Materials Are Written at Higher-Than-Recommended Reading Levels Arthroscopy, Sports Medicine, and Rehabilitation |
| title | Both English- and Spanish-Language Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction Online Patient Education Materials Are Written at Higher-Than-Recommended Reading Levels |
| title_full | Both English- and Spanish-Language Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction Online Patient Education Materials Are Written at Higher-Than-Recommended Reading Levels |
| title_fullStr | Both English- and Spanish-Language Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction Online Patient Education Materials Are Written at Higher-Than-Recommended Reading Levels |
| title_full_unstemmed | Both English- and Spanish-Language Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction Online Patient Education Materials Are Written at Higher-Than-Recommended Reading Levels |
| title_short | Both English- and Spanish-Language Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction Online Patient Education Materials Are Written at Higher-Than-Recommended Reading Levels |
| title_sort | both english and spanish language anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction online patient education materials are written at higher than recommended reading levels |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666061X24001093 |
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