Are patients comprehending? A critical assessment of online patient educational materials

AbstractPurpose: The primary aim of this study was to evaluate the readability, understandability, suitability and actionability of online psoriasis patient educational materials. A secondary aim was to identify areas for improvement.Materials and methods: We conducted an evaluation study to assess online psoriasis patient educational materials from the American Academy of Dermatology and National Psoriasis Foundation available in July 2017. We used two validated assessment tools specific to online healthcare materials. Outcomes were expressed as percentages, where higher percentages corresponded to higher quality materials.Results: Overall, the educational materials had a mean understandability score (72.7%) that was understandable; a suitability score (58.8%) that was adequate; a reading grade level (10.5) that was not readable; and an actionability score (54.7%) that was not actionable. Areas of improvement include reading grade level, visual aids, word choice, specific steps for actions and cultural a...