The following are key points to remember from a study about the readability and accessibility of patient education materials for heart failure (HF) in the United States:

1. Patient education in HF is an essential component of care, which has been shown to improve patient engagement, understanding of the disease process, and self-care.
2. Recommendations from the National Institutes of Health and American Medical Association include patient education literature to be written at a 6th grade reading level and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend materials written at an 8th grade reading level.
3. This cross-sectional study consisted of evaluation of written whole-page text only and included 36 commonly used websites with findings identifying 55.6% as academic institution websites, 19.4% professional society websites, 19.4% public websites, and 5.6% government organization websites.
4. The websites were evaluated using five validated readability formulas and researchers concluded the materials consistently were at a 9th grade or higher readability level, with a large majority at a 12th grade and college-level reading level.
5. None of the websites evaluated in this review provided audiovisual accessibility features for users with disabilities.
6. When considering the impact of health literacy for patients with HF, low levels have been associated with an increase in mortality rates and hospitalizations as well as worsening quality of life and self-care ability.
7. Education materials should be provided in multiple languages to allow for accessibility in non-English speaking patients, families, and caregivers, thus providing them with tools for disease management and care engagement.
8. Further investigation in the accessibility of digital media materials is also needed to ensure this element of education is adequately meeting the needs of HF patients, families, and caregivers.
9. Care team members should include diverse individuals who can develop resources that offer accessible and comprehensible materials for all patients, thereby preventing adverse outcomes that frequently impact these vulnerable populations.

Clinical Topics: Heart Failure and Cardiomyopathies, Acute Heart Failure, Cardiovascular Care Team

Keywords: Health Services Accessibility, Heart Failure, Patient Education as Topic

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