Evaluating patient choice of typeface style and font size for written health information in an outpatient setting

Objectives: This study sought to explore patients’ choice of typeface style and font size for written health information.Participants and setting: Men and women attending an outpatient setting in a teaching hospital in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.Method: All patients who consented to participate first completed the REALM test to assess their literacy level. Patients were then asked to select which typeface style (Times New Roman or Arial) and font size in that style (12 or 14 point) they preferred. Patients then read a handout in the typeface style and font size they had selected. They were then asked to answer questions about the information they had read to assess their reading comprehension.Results: 191 patients agreed to participate but 5 were eliminated as they could not answer the comprehension questions. Of the remaining 186 participants, 131 (70%) preferred Arial font style and 155 (83%) preferred 14-point font size. Individual predictors of preference such as age, gender, REALM grade equivalent, reported education or income were tested using logistic regression but were not found to be significant.Conclusions: Results demonstrate the need to evaluate patient preference when developing written materials for patient education.