Abstract
Background and Methods. Cancer patients may face a number of obstacles to learning, including complexity of information, inappropriateness of timing and method of presentation, avoidance as a way of coping, and inability to read. Patients’ reading levels, preferred learning methods, and desires for information and the usefulness of two instruments in a clinical setting were investigated. One instrument provided information about sociodemographics, desire for information, and learning preferences; the second instrument, the Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine (REALM), assessed reading ability. Results. The 63 patients studied, most of whom were African American, wanted all available information (90%), desired participation in care decisions (68%), and preferred personal interactive learning (77%). The REALM mean score was 50.8, indicating a seventh‐to‐eighth‐grade reading level. Over half read below their stated educational levels and would be unable to read most available patient education materials. Conclusions. Educational level did not indicate reading ability; the patients could state their desires for information and their learning preferences, and the REALM was easy to use.