Information for oral and maxillofacial patients: can it be improved?

Area of Science:

• Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
• Health Literacy
• Patient Education Materials

Background:

• Patient information leaflets (PILs) are crucial for informed decision-making in healthcare.
• Assessing the quality and readability of PILs is essential for effective patient communication.
• Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (OMFS) patient information requires clear and accessible educational materials.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the quality and readability of both printed and online OMFS patient information leaflets (PILs).
• To compare the quality and readability metrics between different formats and sources of OMFS PILs.

Main Methods:

• A total of 140 OMFS PILs (both printed and online) were assessed.
• Quality was evaluated using the DISCERN instrument.
• Readability and grade level were assessed using the Flesch Reading Ease and Flesh-Kincaid Grade Level instruments.

Main Results:

• Many assessed PILs, particularly online versions, exhibited low quality and poor reporting based on DISCERN criteria.
• The median overall quality score for all PILs was 30.2.
• Online PILs were found to be of lower quality, more difficult to read, and targeted a higher reading age level compared to printed PILs.

Conclusions:

• OMFS patient information leaflets are generally of moderate quality, but significant variations exist.
• Online OMFS PILs require improvement in quality and readability to enhance patient understanding.
• Healthcare providers should critically evaluate and select patient education materials to ensure optimal health literacy.