ArticleOnline journal of public health informatics2026
The Readability of Patient-Facing Information in Public Reporting System: Cross-Sectional Evaluation of the City of Helsinki Website.
Article in Online journal of public health informatics, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
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Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Public reporting websites have become increasingly important for improving health care transparency and supporting informed decision-making. However, little empirical evidence exists regarding whether the readability of these websites adequately meets users' information needs, particularly in the context of digital health and Finland's ongoing social welfare and health care reform. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the readability of health information on the City of Helsinki public reporting website. Methods: A cross-sectional website evaluation was conducted using the English-language health care section of the City of Helsinki public reporting website. A total of 429 web pages were collected, among which 246 unique textual descriptions were identified for readability analysis. Website text was automatically extracted using Python and evaluated using 7 established readability indexes: Flesch Reading Ease Score (FRES), Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL), Gunning fog index (GFI), Simple Measure of Gobbledygook (SMOG), Coleman-Liau index (CLI), automated readability index (ARI), and Dale-Chall readability score (DCRS). Descriptive statistics were used to summarize textual characteristics and readability outcomes. Results: All readability indexes consistently demonstrated that the website content exceeded the readability levels recommended for patient education materials. The mean FRES was 42.33 (SD 11.12), indicating difficult-to-read content. The mean FKGL score was 12.03 (SD 2.15), corresponding to a 12th-grade reading level, whereas the mean GFI score of 14.43 (SD 2.43) indicated undergraduate-level reading ability. Similar levels of linguistic complexity were observed across the SMOG (mean 13.69, SD 1.70), CLI (mean 13.61, SD 1.87), ARI (mean 13.67, SD 2.56), and DCRS (mean 11.49, SD 1.02). Considerable variability in readability across web pages suggested inconsistent linguistic accessibility within the website. Conclusions: The City of Helsinki public reporting website could be improved by enhancing readability and user-centered communication. These improvements may facilitate users' understanding of health care information and support informed health care decision-making. The findings provide practical implications for the design and evaluation of future digital health care public reporting systems.
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