Method for improving health literacy of patient materials

An apparatus for improving health literacy of patient materials comprising:

• a memory configured to store an assessment application corresponding to a reviewer;
• a network access device configured to receive a medical communication, from a communication source, containing at least one of medical diagnostic information or medical treatment information and being created by a medical professional;
• one or more processors configured to perform operations of the assessment application, the operations comprising:
• performing an analysis of the received medical communication using multiple metrics including at least one of a plurality of appearance metrics, a plurality of readability metrics, a plurality of document literacy metrics, or a plurality of quantitative literacy metrics, and
• generating a health literacy assessment of the medical communication based on the analysis of the received medical communication and indicating a level of understandability of the medical communication;
• and
• an output device configured to output the health literacy assessment to facilitate an improved conveyance of the at least one of the medical diagnostic information or the medical treatment information.

A method for generating a score for patient materials to improve health literacy comprising:

• storing, in a memory, an assessment application;
• receiving, from a network access device or an input device, a medical communication created by a medical professional and containing at least one of medical diagnostic information or medical treatment information;
• analyzing, using one or more processor and the assessment application, the received medical communication using multiple metrics including at least one of a plurality of appearance metrics, a plurality of readability metrics, a plurality of document literacy metrics, or a plurality of quantitative literacy metrics;
• generating, using the one or more processors and the assessment application and based on the analysis of the received medical communication, a health literacy score of the medical communication that indicates ease of understandability of the received medical communication;
• and
• outputting, using an output device, the health literacy score to facilitate an improved conveyance of the at least one of the medical diagnostic information or the medical treatment information.