Readability and understandability of andrology questionnaires

Medical questionnaires, which enable collection, comparison and analysis of appropriate data as a means of written communication between a patient and a doctor, must be easily readable, and understandable. Here, we measure the readability and understandability of questionnaires used in andrology and examine the relationship between the educational status of the patients and the understandability of the forms.

Seven questionnaires (SHIM, AIPE, IIEF, MSHQ-EjD, PEDT, NIH-CPSI and IPSS) used to diagnose andological diseases were selected from the European Association of Urology guidelines. The number of syllables per word, the number of words in a sentence, and the average word and sentence lengths were calculated for each Turkish validated form. Readability scores were calculated, and closet tests were used to measure the understandability of the texts.

Three hundred and twenty-seven male volunteers participated in the study. Two hundred and sixteen of the participants (66%) had a high school or college education. The readability level of the seven forms was determined to be "Difficult" or "Very Difficult," and at least a high school education level was required to understand the forms. As education level and monthly income increased, the understandability of the forms increased; as the readability of the forms became more difficult, their understandability decreased (p<0.001).

The readability levels of questionnaires used in andrology are well above the reading level of Turkey. Health providers can help patients to fill out forms to increase doctor-patient communication.