According to a team of researchers from the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center and the Cleveland Clinic, effective communication of clinical trial information is critical for patient understanding and participation, particularly among individuals with gynecologic cancers who increasingly rely on online resources for health-related decisions.
Their recent study, which was presented online in Gynecological Cancer, assessed the readability of gynecologic cancer clinical trial descriptions on National Cancer Institute Designated Comprehensive Cancer Center (NCI-CCC) websites. The team analyzed trial descriptions for endometrial, cervical, and ovarian cancers using five validated readability metrics: FORCAST, Fry, Gunning Fog, Raygor Estimate, and SMOG.
Based on the findings, of the 56 NCI-CCCs reviewed, 44 (78%) provided sufficient information for readability assessment. The remaining 22% either redirected users to ClinicalTrials. gov or required additional inquiries to access information.
The study found that the average reading level of clinical trial content was equivalent to the 15th-grade or collegiate level well above the sixth grade level recommended by the National Institutes of Health. Specifically, scores across all metrics confirmed that the language used was overly complex and not patient-friendly.
No significant differences in readability were observed by geographic region or cancer type, although some metrics indicated cervical cancer trials were marginally harder to read.
“In this analysis of publicly available patient-facing information on NCI-CCC websites regarding gynecologic cancer clinical trials, the readability scores were above the high school level across the United States, which far exceeds the recommended readability metric of sixth grade by the National Institutes of Health,” the researchers wrote.
“Opportunities exist to improve the readability of gynecologic cancer clinical trial online literature, which may facilitate patient access, participation, and understanding.”
