Spanish Language Pelvic Floor Disorders Patient Information Handouts: How Readable Are They?

Area of Science:

• Urogynecology
• Health Literacy
• Medical Communication

Background:

• Patient information materials are crucial for understanding health conditions.
• Readability of health information impacts patient comprehension and adherence.
• Spanish-language materials require specific assessment for accessibility.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the readability of Spanish patient information on pelvic floor disorders.
• To compare readability across different content types and sources.
• To identify if materials meet recommended literacy standards.

Main Methods:

• Analyzed 40 Spanish patient information handouts on pelvic floor disorders.
• Utilized INFLESZ v1.0 software with Flesch-Szigriszt, Word Correlation, and Fernandez-Huerta indices.
• Searched online using keywords like 'pelvic floor disorders' and 'Spanish handouts'.

Main Results:

• All analyzed pamphlets fell into 'average' to 'very difficult' reading levels.
• No materials met the recommended sixth-grade reading level.
• Readability did not differ significantly by content type or source.

Conclusions:

• Existing Spanish patient materials for pelvic floor disorders are not accessible to low-literacy populations.
• Simplifying language to a sixth-grade level is necessary.
• Future efforts should focus on creating more readable health information.