What question did this study set out to answer?

This study evaluates the readability and comprehension of online patient education materials for Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE).

June 10, 2026

Evaluating the readability and comprehension of patient education materials for Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) available online

Key Points

This study evaluates the readability and comprehension of online patient education materials for Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE).
Analyzed PEMs from four nonprofit and three for-profit organizations.
Calculated reading and comprehension scores using six standard tools.
Used one-way ANOVA and Tukey’s post-hoc analysis for comparisons.
Average FKGL was 10.05 and average FRES was 52.68 among all materials.
Nonprofit PEMs had a higher FKGL of 10.35; for-profit PEMs had a lower FKGL of 9.98, but differences were not significant (p = 0.53).
LFA had the best readability among nonprofits (FKGL 9.19, FRES 58.34) while Aurinia scored highest among for-profits (FKGL 9.59, FRES 55.77), both statistically significant.

Abstract

Objective We evaluated the reading & comprehension levels of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) Patient educational materials (PEMs) available online, from both nonprofit and for-profit organizations. Methods We analyzed PEMs from four nonprofit organizations (American College of Rheumatology ACR, Lupus Foundation of America LFA, Lupus Research Alliance LRA, Lupus Society of Illinois LSI) & three for-profit company’s platforms (Aurinia, AstraZeneca, GlaxoSmithKline GSK). Reading & comprehension scores were calculated using six standard tools, and comparisons were performed using one-way ANOVA & Tukey’s post-hoc analysis. A p -value ≤0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results The average Flesch–Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL) and Flesch Reading Ease Score (FRES) across all PEMs were 10.05 ± 0.70 and 52.68 ± 4.10, respectively. Materials from nonprofit organizations had a FKGL of 10.35 ± 0.88 and a FRES of 51.19 ± 4.91, indicating a reading level requiring 10th- to 12th-grade proficiency. For-profit organizations had a slightly lower FKGL of 9.98 ± 0.42 and a higher FRES of 54.35 ± 2.65. These differences were not statistically significant ( p = 0.53 and 0.16). However, significant within-group differences were observed. Among nonprofits, PEMs from LFA had the most favorable readability metrics (FKGL 9.19 ± 0.44, FRES 58.34 ± 3.11), compared to ACR (10.64 ± 0.56, 49.81 ± 2.24), LRA (10.53 ± 0.61, 50.54 ± 2.69), and LSI (11.28 ± 0.45, 45.64 ± 2.03) ( p < 0.01). Among for-profits, PEMs from Aurinia had significantly better readability scores (FKGL 9.59 ± 0.46, FRES 55.77 ± 3.05) than those from AstraZeneca (9.93 ± 0.38, 53.13 ± 2.48) and GSK (9.86 ± 0.25, 54.28 ± 2.16) ( p < 0.001). Conclusion Most SLE patient education materials available online are written at or above a 10th-grade level. These findings highlight the urgent need to improve PEM readability to support patients with lower health literacy.

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