This 2017 article by Jessica Ancker et al. discusses a randomized study of pediatric dosing instructions from after visit summaries (AVS) in a commercial electronic health record (EHR). Researchers recruited a diverse sample of parents and adult caregivers. Some participants got the original AVS instructions, while others got plain language instructions. Participants then filled out a questionnaire that assessed how well they understood the instructions.
Researchers found that health literacy and health numeracy were strong and independent predictors of understanding. And the revised instructions were associated with a modest rise in understanding. They suggested automating plain language in the AVS, as well as making further changes with the participation of vulnerable groups.