1. Patient Education: Are We Getting the Message Across?
Naveen K. Ahuja, MD
Ian C. Hoppe, BA
Mark S. Granick, MD, FACS
Department of Surgery, Division of Plastic Surgery
New Jersey Medical School – UMDNJ
Newark, NJ, USA

2. Disclosure
The authors have nothing to disclose

3. Objective
The objective of this study was to evaluate readily available on-line patient education information for readability. This information will aid plastic surgeons in appropriately educating their patients.

4. Background
The National Institutes of Health suggests educational information be at the 4th-6th grade reading level to maximize comprehension.
Source: “How to Write Easy-to-Read Health Materials”. Aug Sept

5. Methods
Text regarding procedure information for patients was extracted from the American Society for Plastic Surgery’s website and from the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery’s website.

6. Methods
Three objective and validated methods (Flesch-Kincaid, SMOG, and Dale-Chall) were used to assess readability of each procedure’s text.

7. Methods Each method uses slightly different methodology
FK uses weighted factors combined with word length and sentence length
SMOG uses a ratio of words with 3 or more syllables to the number of sentences with a validated formula
D-C uses a combination of average sentence length in conjunction with a percentage of words not in a predetermined list of 3,000 commonly used words

8. Results

9. Results

10. Conclusions
Materials on the ASPS website significantly exceeded suggested reading levels
Materials on the ASAPS website significantly exceeded suggested reading levels

11. Significance
Readily available online plastic surgery educational material is at a level of readability that is substantially higher than the national average; additionally, these materials are at a higher level than recommended by the NIH.