Perspectives of people with chronic illness about plain language summaries
A qualitative analysis
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 22944848 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Karen Maree Gainey (0000-0001-6351-0962, The University of Sydney), Kirsten J Mccaffery (0000-0003-2696-5006, The University of Sydney), Danielle M Muscat (0000-0001-6106-6298, The University of Sydney), Danielle Muscat (The University of Sydney) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 40 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Publication date | 2025-03-05 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Health Promotion International (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0957-4824 • E-ISSN: 1460-2245 |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press (OUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1093/heapro/daaf044 |
| PMID | 40252004 |
| OpenAlex | W4409605674 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 23 |
People with chronic health conditions tend to look for information from a range of sources. Although information online is accessible, the quality varies and articles in scientific journals are not written for a general audience. Given this, plain language summaries (PLSs) may be a useful source of information, especially for people with chronic medical conditions. PLSs contain reliable information that is written in plain, easy-to-understand language. We investigated the health information-seeking behaviour of consumers with chronic health conditions and sought to understand what they see as important in a PLS with respect to content, design and structure, and the labels used. We conducted semi-structured focus groups and interviews with 19 participants from 6 countries, all with a chronic medical condition. Using reflexive thematic analysis, we developed four themes: (i) ‘Accessing information in a competitive landscape of health information’; (ii) ‘I really don’t see the patient in this at all’; (iii) ‘Co-design should be meaningful, not tokenistic’; and (iv) ‘A way forward: Approach PLSs with creativity’. Participants highlighted the importance of PLS labels, the need for actionable content, and the recommendation to vary the reading level depending on audience needs. The results of this study suggest that PLSs produced with consumer input could elicit PLSs that better meet audience needs, focusing on information that is actionable, accessible, and written with useful content that is detailed but still respectful of the reader. Consequently, PLSs could become a more useful source of reliable information, particularly for people with chronic health conditions.
Content analysis · Creativity · Internet privacy · Linguistics · Plain language · Qualitative research · Quality (philosophy) · Reading (process) · Reflexivity · Sociology · Thematic analysis · Computer Science · Health Literacy and Information Accessibility · Medicine · Patient-Provider Communication in Healthcare · Psychology · Social Psychology · Text Readability and Simplification
How to use and assess qualitative research methods
Online Health Information Seeking Behavior
Thematic analysis
Health literacy development is central to the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases
A worked example of Braun and Clarke’s approach to reflexive thematic analysis
Researching the 'Informed Patient
The Oxford Handbook of Qualitative Research
Sample Size in Qualitative Interview Studies
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |