Patient education materials: are they readable?

The move toward discharging patients "quicker and sicker" does not allow patients sufficient time to receive the necessary education they need to provide for their self-care at home. Nurses are relying on printed materials to reinforce, or even supplement, hospital patient education programs. Many popular publications are available for the education of patients with cancer. However, a discrepancy exists between the reading level of the average adult and the reading level fo the printed materials. Many studies show that the average reading level of adults falls between the fifth- and eighth-grade levels. Common patient education materials reviewed tested between the eighth- and 12th-grade reading levels, with most materials falling at the upper range. An example of how to calculate one commonly used readability formula is presented in this article.