The American journal of the medical sciences
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To participate effectively in their health care, older patients often are expected to read a wide variety of materials, including written instructions, brochures, and consent forms. This study quantitates the reading ability of older patients and compares it to that of younger patients. Two hundred seventy-two patients 30 and older were selected from five outpatient clinics at a public teaching hospital and tested for objective reading ability using the Peabody Individual Achievement Test--Revised. ⋯ In this study, older patients read significantly worse than younger patients, and a formula that combines age, race, sex, and educational status cannot reliably predict reading ability for individual patients. Most older patients read on a level so low that they cannot be expected to read most commonly used written materials. Routine testing of reading ability may allow more appropriate design and use of written materials.