Readability of iPledge materials for isotretinoin education in English and Spanish

iPledge is a program meant to reduce the incidence of pregnancy in patients using isotretinoin, a teratogenic acne medication. Adherence to the iPledge program is essential in preventing pregnancy complications among isotretinoin users. We present an analysis of the readability of both English and Spanish patient education materials published by iPledge. Readability grade levels for twelve iPledge documents were compared using both Lexile and graph-based methods (English: Fry; Spanish: Gilliam-Peña-Mountain). In both English and Spanish, aggregate Lexile grade levels are written below the 6th grade level; however, approximately one-third of pages are written above the 6th grade level. Aggregate graph-based grade levels are written above the 6th grade level as well. This suggests that iPledge materials should be rewritten at a lower grade level. Doing so may allow more patients to understand and utilize the important information presented in iPledge.