Readability of 22 existing breast density educational materials was assessed.
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Guided by patient advocates, we developed a print breast density educational brochure.
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Brochure acceptability was assessed in focus groups and an online discussion group.
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Existing educational materials had low readability.
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Our brochure had high readability and can be used to support women with dense breasts.
Abstract
Objectives
In this pilot study, we developed and assessed acceptability of a brochure for women with dense breasts.
Material and methods
We measured Flesch-Kincaid Readability of 22 existing breast density educational materials. We then developed a brochure and tested it in two populations of women: 44 safety net hospital patients and 13 Breast Cancer Surveillance Consortium stakeholders.
Results
Average grade score of existing materials was 10.0 (range: 5.5–12.7). Our brochure had a grade score of 5.9, and patients reported it was easy to understand.
Conclusion
Our plain language brochure could improve patient understanding following mandatory dense breast notification.