[Informative Texts for Rehabilitation Patients are Difficult to Understand]

Area of Science:

• Health Communication
• Patient Education
• Rehabilitation Medicine

Context:

• Informational texts are crucial for patient understanding of rehabilitation processes.
• Many existing texts originate from healthcare providers, patient groups, and health portals.
• Musculoskeletal rehabilitation facilities and patient organizations were key sources of investigated materials.

Purpose:

• To assess the intelligibility of informational texts intended for rehabilitation patients.
• To evaluate how easily patients can comprehend materials regarding rehabilitation goals and substance.
• To compare the readability of existing texts with a newly developed plain language booklet.

Summary:

• Readability formulas and the Hamburg approach to intelligibility were applied to 153 texts.
• Most texts were found to be easily understandable only by highly educated individuals.
• A self-written booklet in plain language demonstrated comprehensibility for individuals with lower secondary education.

Impact:

• Existing informational texts offer limited support for patients considering or preparing for rehabilitation.
• Organizations producing patient materials may require external support or staff training for improved clarity.
• Enhancing text intelligibility is vital for informed patient decision-making and engagement in rehabilitation.