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BACKGROUND: Patients are increasingly using the Internet to access health information. Patient awareness and education are crucial to advancing the field of PM compare readability of PM FKGL-10.35, 95% CI 9.99-10.7) and AAOS (SMOG-9.15, 95% CI 8.96-9.35; FKGL-9.51, 95% CI 9.29-9.74), whereas AAFP met readability guidelines for both measures (SMOG-7.00, 95% CI 6.74-7.27; FKGL-6.76, 95% CI 6.45-7.07). SMOG and FKGL scores suggested significantly higher reading difficulty for PM FKGL P = .0001) and AAFP (SMOG P < .0001; FKGL P < .0001). Results indicated that 17% of PM&R resources complied with NIH guidelines, vs 8% for AAOS and 83% for AAFP. CONCLUSIONS: The average readability of PM&R PEM exceeds the NIH-recommended and average U.S. adult eighth-grade reading level. The physiatry community can make its patient materials more comprehensible and accessible for patients by providing resources at a more appropriate reading level.
Han et al. (Tue,) studied this question.