Abstract
Health information achieves impact only when it is accessible and understandable to patients and their caregivers. Challacombe and McElhiney (2025), in Advances in Health Information Science and Practice, reported results from three studies analyzing the readability of patient-facing forms from the 150 highest-ranked hospitals in the United States. Their findings revealed the average readability of these forms exceeded the recommended 8th-grade reading level, indicating patients may not have fully understood their privacy rights or the specific documents requested.
This follow-up study extends the previous research by evaluating Spanish-language versions of these forms. Preliminary results suggest many translated documents are written well above the average reading level of Spanish-speaking patients in the United States, highlighting an additional equity concern within the framework of Social Determinants of Health (SDOH).
In conjunction with these findings, the poster will showcase practical tools for assessing and improving readability, alongside a series of actionable recommendations and evidence-based best practices aimed at promoting health literacy across diverse patient populations.
Department/Program
Psychology
Submission Type
in-person poster
Date
3-13-2026
Rights
Copyright the Author(s)
Recommended Citation
Challacombe, Darin and McElhiney, Elizabeth
(2026)
"Lost in Translation? Bilingual Readability in Healthcare Forms,"
SACAD: Scholarly Activities: Vol. 2026, Article 137.
Available at:
https://scholars.fhsu.edu/sacad/vol2026/iss2026/137
