Objective: To assess the reading levels required to complete patient-reported outcome measures (PROs) commonly used in rheumatology clinical and research settings.
Methods: Ten PROs written in English were evaluated. Four reviewers critiqued each measure blindly using two standardized readability indexes and a final readability score for each PRO was agreed.
Results: Only six of the PROs met the recommended reading level for health education literature.
Conclusion: Many people completing PROs will not be able to understand what they are answering and will be unable to give an accurate perspective on their condition.