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Examining the Accessibility of Online Patient Materials for Bariatric Surgery

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Medical School, University of Michigan, 7300 Medical Science Building I — A Wing, 1301 Catherine St., MI, 48109-5624, Ann Arbor, USA

    Sophia A. Gutterman & Julia N. Schroeder

  2. Department of Surgery, University of Michigan, 2122 Taubman Center, 1500 E Medical Center Dr, MI, 48109, Ann Arbor, USA

    Clare E. Jacobson, Nabeel R. Obeid & Pasithorn A. Suwanabol

  3. Michigan Bariatric Surgery Collaborative, MI, Ann Arbor, USA

    Nabeel R. Obeid

Authors
  1. Sophia A. Gutterman
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  2. Julia N. Schroeder
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  3. Clare E. Jacobson
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  4. Nabeel R. Obeid
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  5. Pasithorn A. Suwanabol
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Pasithorn A. Suwanabol.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Key Points

• Patients use online resources to inform the decision to pursue bariatric surgery.

• Appropriate reading levels improve accessibility particularly for patients with low literacy.

• Bariatric surgery centers’ online patient materials are several grade levels above AMA recommendation.

• Multiple resources exist to improve readability and access for patients.

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Gutterman, S.A., Schroeder, J.N., Jacobson, C.E. et al. Examining the Accessibility of Online Patient Materials for Bariatric Surgery. OBES SURG 33, 975–977 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11695-022-06440-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11695-022-06440-y

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