Are information leaflets given to elderly people with diabetes easy to read?

Area of Science:

• Health Communication
• Patient Education Materials
• Geriatric Medicine

Background:

• Effective patient communication is crucial for healthcare.
• Information leaflets are widely used for patient education, particularly for elderly populations.
• Readability and print legibility are key factors in the accessibility of health information.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the readability and print legibility of patient information leaflets used in a teaching hospital.
• To compare leaflets from a diabetes unit with those from other hospital departments.
• To identify areas for improvement in patient information material design.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of 15 leaflets from a diabetes unit and 55 from other departments using the Fog Index for readability.
• Evaluation of print size and style against Royal National Institute for the Blind guidelines.
• Comparison of findings across different hospital units.

Main Results:

• Seven out of 70 (10%) leaflets exhibited poor readability, comparable to the British Medical Journal.
• None of the poorly readable leaflets originated from the diabetes unit.
• 73% of diabetes unit leaflets and 77% overall failed to meet legibility guidelines for print.
• Awareness of simple language use was higher than for legible type.

Conclusions:

• While diabetes educators demonstrated better language use, print legibility remains a widespread problem in patient information leaflets.
• Healthcare providers must prioritize both clear language and legible print in patient education materials.
• Adherence to established guidelines for print legibility is necessary to improve patient comprehension.