This exploratory study examined whether CI medical file documents met family-centered criteria for accessibility and readability, that is, could the average parent understand these documents?
Clinicians involved in cochlear implant programs should audit the readability of their patient-facing documents and simplify materials that exceed recommended reading levels to support genuine informed consent.
Family-centered care in pediatric audiology depends on parents truly understanding complex information, and systematically poor document readability undermines that foundation.
- 01Many cochlear implant program documents may exceed recommended readability levels for lay readers.
- 02Poor readability could hinder informed parental decision-making and consent.
- 03The study is exploratory, examining one component of family-centered practice.
- 04Findings signal a need to audit and rewrite CI program materials to meet plain-language standards.
- 05Accessibility of written materials is a measurable, modifiable quality indicator for CI programs.
Written cochlear implant documents do not consistently meet family-centered readability and accessibility criteria.
studypartially supported- PMID
- 42229111
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.ijporl.2026.112850.
- Journal
- International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology
- Publication type
- research_article
- Evidence level
- 4
- Population
- Cochlear implant program written documents reviewed for readability and accessibility criteria
- Intervention
- Readability and accessibility analysis of cochlear implant medical file documents
Primary outcomes
Readability level of cochlear implant program documents; Accessibility of written materials for parental decision-making