Who's Reading Your Writing? How Difficulty is Your Text?

Who's Reading Your Writing?  How Difficult is Your Text?

“When I got my prescription filled at the pharmacy, I thought I was just going to be taking some pills like last time.  So when the pharmacist asked if I had any questions, I said no.  When I got home and opened my prescription, the medicine didn’t look anything like normal pills. I tried to read the paper the pharmacy gave me on the medicine, but I have never been a good reader and couldn’t read most of the words.  I gave up trying to understand it and just put the medication in my mouth and chewed.  When I went back to the doctor for my follow-up visit, she asked me if the suppository had worked.  I couldn’t believe I taken a suppository by mouth and I started crying as I told her what I had done.  None of this would have happened if I could have read the sheet from the pharmacy.”– Mrs.D

Mrs. D is not alone when she said she “[had] never been a good reader.” According to the National Center for Education Statistics, about 22 percent of the population has basic health literacy and 14 percent has below basic health literacy. Basic health literacy is defined as being able to perform simple and everyday health literacy activities; whereas below basic health literacy is defined as knowing no more than the most simple and concrete health literacy skills. Both basic and below basic readers are at risk for making a mistake similar to the one made by Mrs. D. ⁽¹⁾