From the October 2022 issue of HealthCare Business News magazine
Approximate representation of the U.S. grade level needed to comprehend the text:
Coleman Liau index: 12.80
Flesch Kincaid Grade level: 14.83
ARI (Automated Readability Index): 13.89
SMOG: 16.19
A SMOG index score of 16.19 indicates that the text requires the reader to have comprehension equal to grade 16 – a college graduate. This score indicates the information is out of reach for the average American.
Revising your imaging exam instructions may seem like a small solution to a large problem. But the Joint Commission encourages hospitals to use readability tests to revise written materials in order to address the health literacy needs of all patients. By ensuring exam instructions are easy for your patients to comprehend, and that they meet the readability and health literacy guidelines, your department can dramatically reduce same-day cancellations that occur because patients misunderstood imaging instructions. One IR department took on this challenge and reduced its same-day cancellation rates from 13% to 2% in just 2 months. This seemingly small but exponentially impactful change can do more than improve operational utilization metrics. It can improve patient satisfaction, reduce delays in care, and even reduce overtime by keeping your department running on schedule.
It's ingrained in leaders to focus on improving processes to solve challenges. Fixing a broken process can yield exponentially positive results. But in the case of communication problems, the answer doesn’t always lie in processes or even in tools used for facilitating communication. Reducing your operational scheduling challenges, increasing patient satisfaction, and reducing delays can be as simple as updating your patient facing communications for readability and comprehension using a simple readability tool. Try it. You’ll be surprised how much impact this simple step can have – and what you will learn in the process.
About the author: Stefanie Manack, MS, CRA, R.T. (R)(M)(VI) has more than 18 years’ experience in the imaging industry. She currently works as the Director of Operational Excellence at 3DR Labs, an Accumen company.
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