Meeting patient needs in the hospital setting— are written nutrition education resources too hard to understand?

Abstract

Abstract Aims: To determine the readability of written nutrition education resources currently used in the Nutrition and Dietetics Department in a large teaching hospital and assess whether these resources are of an appropriate readability level for the target population. Methods: Dietitians in the department (n = 17) were interviewed to identify resources in use. Readability analysis of current resources (n = 235) followed, using the Simplified Measure of Gobbledegook (SMOG). The SMOG scores were compared with census data for the average reading ability of the target population based on the number of school years completed. Results: The readability level for the resources ranged from 6 to 15. The mean was 10.4 ± 1.89 (n = 235). This compared with a reading ability in the target population of between years 6 and 8. This discrepancy suggests that the resources may be too complex and are unlikely to be well understood by the target population. Conclusions: In the time‐poor clinical environment where there is reliance on written nutrition resources to support and reinforce education messages, it is pertinent to pay more attention to readability level. Written resources are unlikely to be effective if they are too complex. It is therefore suggested that dietitians consider the readability when developing and reviewing written nutrition education resources to ensure best‐quality patient care. The results of this project suggest that the SMOG index is a useful method to use for this purpose as it is widely available, easy to use and expedient in implementation.