Assessing the readability level of patient educational resources distributed in Shiraz health centers by Flesch Dayani formula

Educational resources are a supplement for patient education programs and apply for the development of self-care skills in chronic pains; but these resources are effective when they are understandable by their audiences. So، the aim of the present study was to evaluate the readability levels of educational resources distributed in Shiraz health centers. In this descriptive study، the readability of 61 educational resources، which were distributed in Shiraz health centers during Oct. to Feb. 2014، were assessed by Flesch Dayani Formula. Data were analyzed using SPSS16 through descriptive statistics (Mean، Standard deviation) and Pearson correlation at a significant level of 0. 05. The average readability of educational resources was found to be 40. This level of readability is appropriate for individuals who passed the college. No significant relationship was detected between readability and the number of messages in each text. As the most educational resources have been written higher than audiences’ understanding ability and these resources are suitable for individuals with college education، therefore، health information providers must try to prepare patient education resources understandable for most of the people in society.