EPD206 - Assessing the Readability of the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons (ASCRS) Online Patient Education Resources

Monday, May 11, 2026

8:38 AM - 8:43 AM ET

ePoster of Distinction Presenter(s)

AF

Alexander Farrell, DO

Resident Physician
Lenox Hill Hospital, Northwell Health
New York, New York, United States

All disclosed relationships have been reviewed and managed prior to the start of this activity. Any relevant relationships will be listed below. This individual has no financial relationships to disclose

Author(s)

Katie Carsky, MD, MS (she/her/hers)

Fellow
Cleveland Clinic Florida
Pembroke Pines, FL, United States

All disclosed relationships have been reviewed and managed prior to the start of this activity. Any relevant relationships will be listed below. This individual has no financial relationships to disclose
MU

Melissa Ulbrick, MD

Resident
Lenox Hill Hospital
New York, New York, United States

Disclosure information not submitted.

Senior Author(s)

RW

Richard L. Whelan, MD, FACRS

Attending Surgeon
NORTHWELL HEALTH, LENOX HILL HOSPITAL
New York, New York, United States

All disclosed relationships have been reviewed and managed prior to the start of this activity. Any relevant relationships will be listed below. This individual has no relevant financial relationships.

Purpose/Background: Online resources are an accessible and common way for individuals to seek information regarding their medical conditions. The ASCRS website has a dedicated section outlining various colorectal diseases and conditions. The American Medical Association (AMA), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and National Institutes of Health (NIH) recommend patient resource material meet the readability of a sixth to eighth grade level, collectively. The aim of this study is to assess the readability of the online educational materials offered by ASCRS to evaluate if they are in line with current recommendations on readability.

Methods/Interventions: We reviewed 51 patient education resources available on the ASCRS website outlining numerous colorectal conditions. Text from each resource was extracted and analyzed using The Flesch-Kincaid (FK) Grade Level, a validated readability calculator, to assess if the educational materials were at or below the NIH recommendations for readability. Trends in reading levels were then analyzed to assess compliance.

Results/Outcomes: Of the 51 patient education resources reviewed, none were within the AMA and NIH readability recommendations. The average FK reading level was 11.3 (SD 1.41) with a FK reading score of 41.11 (SD 7.51), correlating with a 10th-12th grade reading level or “fairly difficult to read.” >90% of resources were noted to be at a university reading level. The topic with the easiest readability was Anal Pain. Four patient education resources, including Colonoscopy and Minimally Invasive Surgery brochures, had an FK reading level < 30 or at a level of a college graduate.

Conclusion/Discussion: The online patient educational materials provided by ASCRS are consistently written above recommended readability levels by numerous national health organizations. Simplifying the language of easily accessible online resources to meet the 6th to 8th grade target may enhance patient comprehension and health literacy, addressing an important barrier to shared decision making.