A framework for the evaluation of patient information leaflets

Abstract

Background The provision of patient information leaflets (PILs) is an important part of health care. PILs require evaluation, but the frameworks that are used for evaluation are largely under-informed by theory. Most evaluation to date has been based on indices of readability, yet several writers argue that readability is not enough. We propose a framework for evaluating PILs that reflect the central role of the patient perspective in communication and use methods for evaluation based on simple linguistic principles. The proposed framework The framework has three elements that give rise to three approaches to evaluation. Each element is a necessary but not sufficient condition for effective ..