Publikation: Readability, suitability and comprehensibility in patient education materials for Swedish patients with colorectal cancer undergoing elective surgery: a mixed method design
Artikel i vetenskaplig tidskrift, 2014
Objective: To characterize education materials provided to patients undergoing colorectal cancer surgery
to gain a better understanding of how to design readable, suitable, comprehensible materials.
Method: Mixed method design. Deductive quantitative analysis using a validated suitability and
comprehensibility assessment instrument (SAM + CAM) was applied to patient education materials from
27 Swedish hospitals, supplemented by language technology analysis and deductive and inductive
analysis of data from focus groups involving 15 former patients.
Results: Of 125 patient education materials used during the colorectal cancer surgery process, 13.6%
were rated ‘not suitable’, 76.8% ‘adequate’ and 9.6% ‘superior’. Professionally developed stoma care
brochures were rated ‘superior’ and 44% of discharge brochures were ‘not suitable’. Language technology
analysis showed that up to 29% of materials were difficult to comprehend. Focus group analysis revealed
additional areas that needed to be included in patient education materials: general and personal care,
personal implications, internet, significant others, accessibility to healthcare, usability, trustworthiness
and patient support groups.
Conclusion: Most of the patient education materials were rated ‘adequate’ but did not meet the
information needs of patients entirely. Discharge brochures particularly require improvement.
Practice implications: Using patients’ knowledge and integrating manual and automated methods could
result in more appropriate patient education materials.
Colorectal cancer Patient education materials Surgical care ERAS Readability assessment in material Suitability assessment in material Comprehensibility assessment in material Language technology analysis Focus groups