Differences in perceived difficulty in print and online patient education materials

Area of Science:

• Health literacy
• Patient education
• Digital health communication

Background:

• Patient education materials often exceed public reading abilities.
• Patients may perceive materials as too difficult, hindering comprehension.
• The impact of delivery format (print vs. digital) on perceived difficulty is unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare perceived reading difficulty of online versus print patient education materials.
• To assess how delivery format influences patient perception of material difficulty.

Main Methods:

• Convenience sampling of first-year college students.
• Comparison of perceived difficulty between online and print patient education materials.

Main Results:

• Some students perceived online materials as more difficult to read than print materials, despite similar content difficulty.
• High digital literacy in the sample suggests broader implications for other populations.
• Perceived difficulty of patient education materials affects learning effectiveness.

Conclusions:

• Further research is needed on patient perception of difficulty for print versus screen-based patient education materials.
• Understanding format-based perception differences is crucial for effective health communication.