Results corresponding to USA grade level.Īverage number of syllables per word and average number of words per sentenceĠ.39×average number of words per sentence+11.8×(average number of syllables per word)−15.59 Readability assessment tools used for the analyses are described in Table 1.
Fx flesch kincaid readability tool for mac#
Each extracted text was analyzed for readability using the software package Readability Studio Professional Edition version 2015 for Mac (Oleander Software, Ltd., Vandalia, OH, USA). Copyright notices, disclaimers, acknowledgments, author information, citations, and references were excluded from the analysis. Response options which were single words and therefore are likely to score as very easy to read, were not assessed. Therefore, incomplete phrases were combined with potential question choices to form and test only complete sentences as recommended elsewhere. Several items within the surveys (e.g., sentence fragments with subsequent question choices) are not recognized by the readability-test programs as a complete sentence or a question. The English versions of the questionnaires were assessed by copying each single-item into a Microsoft Word document (Microsoft Corp., Redmond, WA, USA). This survey represents the most widely used generic measure of health-related quality of life, has already undergone a revision to improve comprehensibility and is also recommended by the EAU guidelines.
In addition, the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey version 2 (SF-36v2) questionnaire was included into the analysis as a benchmark. We reviewed the guidelines published by the European Association of Urology (EAU) for recommended urological questionnaires. The aim of our study was to assess readability of the most commonly used questionnaires in urology including a separate analysis of their single-items to identify questions that might be especially demanding for patients and, therefore, deserve particular attention when interpreting the results of such surveys. Thus, very difficult single-items can be covered up by easier ones and compromise a meaningful completion of a questionnaire and the informative value of its results.
This approach provides no information on potential variations in the readability of single-items. However, all of these studies evaluated the average readability of the complete questionnaires. Like similar studies in different fields of medicine, they reported on generally satisfactory results. analyzed the readability of 76 different health-related quality of life instruments and reported on a median 6.5th grade reading level. Therefore, the USA National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the American Medical Association (AMA) recommend a 7th to 8th grade or 5th to 6th grade reading level for written health materials respectively. Readability of health-related content represents a fundamental component of comprehensibility but is often neglected, which has especially been shown for patient education material. Thus, a PubMed search reveals over 5,200 hits for the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), over 3,300 for the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) and its short form IIEF-5 and more than 700 hits for the Chronic Prostatitis Symptom Index (CPSI). Many clinical trials are based on validated questionnaires as they represent the most reliable way to assess patient reported outcomes. They facilitate a time saving and structured assessment of current complaints and allow a systematic assessment of changes during a longer-term course. These scores are used by policy writers, research communicators, and digital marketers in order to find how easily a target audience will be able to understand and engage with a particular text.Questionnaires represent an integral part in everyday medical practice and leading urological guidelines recommend their use in various sub-specialties of urology. The Flesch Reading Ease score is arrived at by using this equation:įlesch Reading Ease Score = 206.835 − 1.015 × ( Total Words / Total Sentences ) − 84.6 × ( Total Syllables / Total Words )
Conversion tables can be used to translate the score into educational levels, e.g., if the score is around 70 to 80 that equates to the text being appropriate for around school grade level 7, i.e., the average adult should find it reasonably simple to read. Scores around 100 mean the document is extremely easy to read, while scores around 0 mean that it is highly complex and difficult to understand. How comprehensible a document is will be indicated on the Flesch Reading Ease Score by a number between 0 and 100. The score lets you know the approximate educational level a person will need to be able to read a particular text easily. The Flesch Reading Ease Score was first used in 1948 to show how readable a text is.