As a medical writer, we want to ensure our content is comprehensive and accessible to the intended readers. The audience for medical content is diverse, including patients, consumers, researchers, healthcare professionals, pharmaceutical professionals, and business owners. Each of us consumes medical content through various mediums like newspapers, blogs, brochures, specialized documents, and websites.
Naturally, not all readers have the same background or understanding of medical content. An intended reader could be a subject matter expert or someone entirely unfamiliar with the topic. That’s why, as a medical writer, you need to make sure you speak the language of your intended readers.
One way to quickly assess and tailor your content for the intended readers is to use readability scales. Input your content into readability tools, you will receive scores that indicate the readability level of your content.
Recently, I evaluated three readability scales to determine which best aligns with the complexity of medical education content. The scales I reviewed were:
- Gunning Fog Scale
- Flesch-Kincaid Grade
- Dale-Chall Score
Using three different scales simultaneously is cumbersome and time-consuming
Medical education content often involves specialized terminology and complex concepts. However, not all readability scales are equally effective. Each readability scale offers unique insights and has its own strengths and limitations. However, using three different scales simultaneously is cumbersome and time-consuming.
Comparison of Readability Scales
| Scale | Calculation Method | Pros | Cons | Best Use Scenario |
| Gunning Fog Scale | Based on the average sentence length and percentage of complex words (words with three or more syllables) | – Considers passive voice usage, which is common in medical writing – Better for complex content with advanced terminology | – More complex calculation – May overestimate difficulty for texts with many technical terms | Suitable for scientific and technical documents, research papers, and articles with complex sentences and advanced terminology |
| Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level | Average number of words per sentence and average number of syllables per word | – Simple calculation – Widely used and recognized – Good for general education materials | – May underestimate the complexity of medical content – Less effective for texts with specialized terminology | Useful for general education materials, patient education brochures, and content aimed at a broad audience |
| Dale-Chall Score | Based on the percentage of difficult words (those not on a list of 3,000 common words) | – Accounts for difficult words, providing a more accurate measure for specialized content – Reflects true readability for complex texts | – Can be time-consuming to apply manually – Requires access to the list of common words | Best for specialized content with advanced vocabulary, ensuring that text is accessible to professionals and students in specific fields |
My case study
After careful evaluation, I found that both the Gunning Fog Scale and the Dale-Chall Score more accurately reflected the complexity of my medical education content. The Gunning Fog Scale considers factors like passive voice usage, while the Dale-Chall Readability Formula uses the frequency of difficult words, making them better suited for medical writing.
The Flesch-Kincaid Grade relies on the average number of words per sentence and the average number of syllables per word. While these factors can indicate readability to an extent, they fall short of capturing the true complexity of medical content. For instance, the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level for some of my medical articles was around Grade 11, yet these articles were still too complex even for first-year undergraduates to fully comprehend.
Given these insights, I am considering discontinuing the use of the Flesch-Kincaid Grade in favour of the Gunning Fog and Dale-Chall scales. This decision aims to streamline my process while maintaining accurate assessments of readability. However, depending on your content type and intended readers, another scale may serve you better.
Make sure to run your own test and find the most suitable scale for you. Save time in writing, ensure your content is understandable to your audience, and earn better.
Here are two tools for you: Readability Analyzer and StoryToolz.