Pediatric Gastrostomy Educational Materials: A Health Literacy Assessment

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Healthcare
• Medical Education
• Health Literacy

Background:

• Health literacy and language significantly influence patient comprehension and adherence to medical instructions.
• Written educational materials are vital for managing medical devices like gastrostomy tubes (g-tubes).

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the readability, understandability, actionability, content completeness, and language availability of g-tube educational materials.
• To identify areas for improvement in patient education resources for g-tube care.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study analyzed g-tube educational materials from top US children's hospitals.
• Readability was assessed using grade level, and understandability/actionability via the Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool (PEMAT).
• Content coverage and non-English language availability were also evaluated.

Main Results:

• Materials had an average reading grade level of 8.3, with understandability at 81.6% and actionability at 65.9%.
• On average, materials covered only 46.1% of essential content items.
• Only 20% of institutions offered materials in languages other than English.

Conclusions:

• Written g-tube educational materials often present challenges in readability and content completeness.
• Significant improvements are needed in understandability, actionability, and comprehensiveness of g-tube patient education.
• Future research should focus on developing enhanced educational materials for children requiring g-tubes.