Sports Medicine Patient-Reported Outcomes Fail to Meet National Institutes of Health (NIH) and American Medical Association (AMA) Recommended Reading Levels.

Purpose: To evaluate the readability of commonly used patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) in the sports medicine literature to determine if they meet the recommended reading levels set by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the American Medical Association (AMA).

Methods: A readability analysis was conducted on 26 PROMs commonly used in the sports medicine literature. Primary readability metrics used were the Flesch Reading Ease Score (FRES) and the Simple Measure of Gobbledygook (SMOG) Index. Readability scores were obtained using an online readability calculator and compared against NIH and AMA guidelines. A FRES ≥ 80 or SMOG < 7 was applied as a threshold for a 6th-grade or lower reading level.

Results: The average FRES and SMOG Index for all PROMs were 65 ± 13 and 9 ± 1, respectively, indicating an 8th to 9th-grade reading level. Four PROMs met the FRES and SMOG threshold for readability (12-Item Short Form Survey, Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory, Numeric Pain Rating Scale, and Musculoskeletal Function Assessment). Patient-Specific Functional Scale, Disablement of the Physically Active Scale, Upper Extremity Functional Index, Low Back Outcome Score, and the International Knee Documentation Committee Questionnaire were among the least readable PROMs.

Conclusions: Most sports medicine PROMs are written above the recommended 6th-grade reading level.

Clinical Relevance: Ensuring that sports medicine PROMs meet recommended readability standards may improve data accuracy and patient comprehension. By reducing literacy barriers, clinicians can obtain more reliable responses, better evaluate outcomes, and ultimately enhance patient care.