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The readability of patient handouts from an inner regional hospital emergency department
Citation
van der Ploeg, WJ and Towle, NJ, The readability of patient handouts from an inner regional hospital emergency department, Australian Journal of Rural Health, 20, (4) pp. 226-227. ISSN 1038-5282 (2012) [Contribution to Refereed Journal]
Copyright Statement
Copyright 2012 The Authors
DOI: doi:10.1111/j.1440-1584.2012.01285.x
Abstract
Written patient handouts are commonly used in hospital
emergency departments to supplement doctors’ oral
instructions and provide patients with a hard copy they
can retain for future reference. The handouts are typically
one to two pages in length and given to patients as
part of their discharge instructions. Preparing handouts
can be challenging because they need to communicate
often complex information in a way that is both intelligible
and useful to the reader. Text that is difficult to
read and understand – has low readability – may
prevent people from actively participating in their own
care and using health care services effectively. In the
most recent Australian survey of health literacy, the
2006 Adult Literacy and Lifeskills Survey (ALLS),
63.4% of Tasmanians aged 15–74 years were found to
have insufficient health literacy to understand and use
health information.1 This was equal only to the Northern
Territory as the lowest health literacy level across
the nation. These data suggest the likelihood of a mismatch
between the readability of patient handouts and
the health literacy skills of the people required to use
them. This short report is on a readability analysis conducted
on patient handouts issued through an emergency
department of an inner regional teaching hospital
in North West Tasmania. It represents the first stage of
a study that will determine whether the readability of
the handouts appropriately matches the health literacy
of the people required to use them.
Item Details
Item Type: | Contribution to Refereed Journal |
---|---|
Research Division: | Health Sciences |
Research Group: | Health services and systems |
Research Field: | Health and community services |
Objective Division: | Health |
Objective Group: | Evaluation of health and support services |
Objective Field: | Health education and promotion |
UTAS Author: | van der Ploeg, WJ (Dr Winifred Van Der Ploeg) |
UTAS Author: | Towle, NJ (Dr Nick Towle) |
ID Code: | 82866 |
Year Published: | 2012 |
Deposited By: | Faculty of Health |
Deposited On: | 2013-02-20 |
Last Modified: | 2013-06-11 |
Downloads: | 0 |
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