Comprehension in Patient Literature: The Importance of Text and Reader Characteristics

Abstract

We summarize three studies of patients' comprehension of published material. The analysis of patients' think-aloud and recall protocols suggested several text and reader characteristics that hindered text processing and revealed that immediate recall was low. Text characteristics that hindered processing included lexical problems, violation of recommended standards of writing, and inadequate repetition or organizers. Reader characteristics that hindered processing included education level, vocabulary skills, and a conflict of pamphlet statements with readers' existing schemas.