Readability of endoscopy information leaflets: Implications for informed consent

Valid consent for gastrointestinal endoscopy is required for ethical and legal reasons. Patients are frequently met by an endoscopist for the first time on the day of their procedure. For valid consent to be possible, the patient needs to have received and understood generic information regarding endoscopy in advance. Patient information leaflets (PILs) need to be easily understood by the majority of the population.

PILs from 14 secondary care institutions and a sample PIL from the British Society of Gastroenterology were analysed using an online readability tool. Flesch reading ease, Flesch-Kincaid grade (F-K grade) and Simple Measure of Gobbledygook (SMOG) were calculated and compared against national recommendations and literacy standards.

Average Flesch reading ease score was 57.5, below the threshold of 60 which indicates a document that is easy to read. Average F-K grade and SMOG were 9.7 and 9.4, respectively; both indicating a reading age of 14-15, the recommended reading age being 11-12. There is considerable variation when documents are analysed by institution. Flesch scores varying from 49.7 to 66.1, F-K grade 8.2-11.4 and SMOG 8.3-10.8 (reading ages 13-17).

All PILs analysed exceeded the recommended reading age for patient information. In the context of "straight to test" endoscopy where patients do not have a consultation with clinicians well versed in endoscopy prior to the day of the procedure, this risks invalidating consent. PILs need to be written carefully to ensure the information provided is accessible to patients, and that the language used is suitably aimed to achieve this.