Patient Educational Materials for Pheochromocytoma Exceed Recommended Readability Level: An Analysis Across Three Independent Reading Instruments.

IF 1.4 4区医学 Q3 EDUCATION, SCIENTIFIC DISCIPLINES

Journal of Cancer Education Pub Date : 2025-06-21 DOI:10.1007/s13187-025-02666-3

Valerie L Armstrong, Kelsey L Grabeel, R Eric Heidel, Christel M McGillicuddy, Polina Zmijewski, Peyton Murdock, John I Lew, Tanaz M Vaghaiwalla

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Abstract

Patient education is a critical component of effective medical care; > 50% of patients seek medical information from online sources. The recommended reading level is sixth grade. This study examines reading level of current online educational resources for patients with pheochromocytoma. A review of 50 online patient educational materials related to pheochromocytomas was performed. Using three validated instruments: Flesch Reading Ease (FRE), Simplified Measure of Gobbledygook (SMOG), and Gunning Fog Index (GFI) scores, the reading grade level was calculated, and Spearman correlations were performed to evaluate associations between the reading instruments. Thirty-two online patient educational materials were included. The majority of the materials were from academic and research institutions (47%), followed by general information and overviews (19%), government health resources (9%), cancer-specific organizations (9%), support and advocacy groups (9%), and children's health (6%). There were no patient materials that were written at the appropriate grade level. Materials were above a twelfth-grade reading level in 61% of sources (FRE = 78.2%, SMOG = 40.6%, GFI = 59.4%). There were strong, positive correlations between the three reading instruments utilized in the analysis. Readable educational materials facilitate effective healthcare literacy and empower patients to participate in health care decisions, which is especially important given the complex diagnostic and therapeutic considerations for pheochromocytomas. This study is the first to assess readability of online educational resources for patients with pheochromocytoma and reveals a significant gap in the availability of materials that meet the recommended grade level. Developing online education materials that meet the recommended reading grade level is essential to inform patient education and shared decision-making.

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嗜铬细胞瘤患者教育材料超过推荐的可读性水平：跨三个独立阅读工具的分析。

患者教育是有效医疗护理的关键组成部分；50%的患者从在线来源寻求医疗信息。推荐阅读水平为六年级。本研究考察嗜铬细胞瘤患者当前在线教育资源的阅读水平。我们回顾了50个与嗜铬细胞瘤相关的在线患者教育材料。使用三种有效的工具：Flesch Reading Ease （FRE）、Simplified Measure of Gobbledygook （SMOG）和Gunning Fog Index （GFI）评分，计算阅读等级水平，并使用Spearman相关来评估阅读工具之间的相关性。包括32份在线患者教育材料。大多数材料来自学术和研究机构（47%），其次是一般信息和概述（19%），政府卫生资源（9%），癌症特定组织（9%），支持和倡导团体（9%）以及儿童健康（6%）。没有适当年级水平的患者资料。61%的资料在十二年级阅读水平以上（FRE = 78.2%, SMOG = 40.6%, GFI = 59.4%）。在分析中使用的三种阅读工具之间存在强烈的正相关。可读的教育材料促进有效的医疗保健素养和授权患者参与医疗保健决策，这是特别重要的考虑到复杂的诊断和治疗嗜铬细胞瘤。这项研究首次评估了嗜铬细胞瘤患者在线教育资源的可读性，并揭示了满足推荐年级水平的材料的可用性存在显著差距。开发符合推荐阅读等级水平的在线教育材料对于告知患者教育和共同决策至关重要。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Journal of Cancer Education 医学-医学：信息

CiteScore

3.40

自引率

6.20%

发文量

122

审稿时长

4-8 weeks

期刊介绍： The Journal of Cancer Education, the official journal of the American Association for Cancer Education (AACE) and the European Association for Cancer Education (EACE), is an international, quarterly journal dedicated to the publication of original contributions dealing with the varied aspects of cancer education for physicians, dentists, nurses, students, social workers and other allied health professionals, patients, the general public, and anyone interested in effective education about cancer related issues. Articles featured include reports of original results of educational research, as well as discussions of current problems and techniques in cancer education. Manuscripts are welcome on such subjects as educational methods, instruments, and program evaluation. Suitable topics include teaching of basic science aspects of cancer; the assessment of attitudes toward cancer patient management; the teaching of diagnostic skills relevant to cancer; the evaluation of undergraduate, postgraduate, or continuing education programs; and articles about all aspects of cancer education from prevention to palliative care. We encourage contributions to a special column called Reflections; these articles should relate to the human aspects of dealing with cancer, cancer patients, and their families and finding meaning and support in these efforts. Letters to the Editor (600 words or less) dealing with published articles or matters of current interest are also invited. Also featured are commentary; book and media reviews; and announcements of educational programs, fellowships, and grants. Articles should be limited to no more than ten double-spaced typed pages, and there should be no more than three tables or figures and 25 references. We also encourage brief reports of five typewritten pages or less, with no more than one figure or table and 15 references.