The Readability of Online Patient Information for Cardiac Amyloidosis Is Lacking

On average, the readability of patient educational materials on cardiac amyloidosis fails to meet National Institutes of Health (NIH) standards, according to a study being presented at AHA 2024.

“Advancements in diagnostics and increased awareness have led to higher identification of cardiac amyloidosis. This condition, characterized by the abnormal deposition of amyloid proteins in the heart, has created a greater need for comprehensive educational materials for patients and their families. Patients with cardiac amyloidosis often require specialized care from subspecialists at academic medical centers (AMCs). Our study aims to evaluate whether the readability of patient education materials provided by AMCs meets the (NIH) standard of an 8th-grade reading level or below,” the researchers noted.

The investigators conducted a Google search to identify educational materials on cardiac amyloidosis from AMCs. The materials were analyzed using 10 readability assessment tools, including the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level and the Gunning Fog Index. The researchers utilized linear regression to analyze the link between readability scores and independent variables such as word count, U.S. News ranking, and Google Search ranking. Overall, they assessed 32 AMC websites with information on cardiac amyloidosis.

According to the results, the overall median reading level was 11.3 (IQR 10.5 – 11.9). The researchers did not observe a notable association between readability scores and word count (r2= 0.00, p = 0.95), Google ranking (r2 = 0.021, p = 0.42), or U.S. News ranking (r2 = 0.013, p = 0.65). They noted that these findings indicate that the readability of the materials is independent of text length and AMC authority.

“This study is the first to examine the readability of patient educational materials on cardiac amyloidosis. The 32 AMC websites had a median reading grade level of 11.3, which does not meet the NIH readability standard. The lack of significant correlation between readability and Google or U.S. News rankings suggests that AMC status does not affect communication effectiveness. The absence of a relationship between word count and readability highlights the need for better content quality,” the researchers concluded.

Reference

Byer S, Grewal U. Missing the Point: Readability Analysis of Online Patient Information for Cardiac Amyloidosis Abstract #Mo4055. Presented at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2024; November 16-18, Chicago, Illinois.