Presentation
MDD24 - The Impact of Post-Pandemic Literacy Rates in Children and Adolescents on Human Factors Studies
DescriptionDuring the COVID-19 pandemic we saw dramatic shifts in the education landscape as education transitioned temporarily into online learning environments. As we shift back to traditional education formats, there is emerging research that suggests there are severely reduced literacy rates in children and adolescents. This poster considers the challenges and concerns associated with having a group of young people whose reading levels may not align with historical data and trends for their age groups that we have previously used to inform human factors methodology.
Within our discussion we consider the human factors recommendations surrounding what reading level we try to match when designing device packaging and labeling. With a decline in child and adolescent reading levels, the recommended target of writing to an eighth grade reading level may leave instructions and labeling incomprehensible to children that are considered intended users of a device. We further the conversation with a discussion of what changes or considerations may be appropriate as we design future human factors studies. We consider how and when reading comprehension assessments are administered to child and adolescent participants in studies. The concerns may extend into adult populations of users as the older adolescents who had their learning impacted by COVID-19 are becoming adults who may have similar deficits in reading comprehension. Additionally, we examine and discuss the disparities in which groups had their education negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Reading deficits appear to be exacerbated in lower income households, and it is essential to consider how this interacts with recruiting needs for human factors studies.
Within our discussion we consider the human factors recommendations surrounding what reading level we try to match when designing device packaging and labeling. With a decline in child and adolescent reading levels, the recommended target of writing to an eighth grade reading level may leave instructions and labeling incomprehensible to children that are considered intended users of a device. We further the conversation with a discussion of what changes or considerations may be appropriate as we design future human factors studies. We consider how and when reading comprehension assessments are administered to child and adolescent participants in studies. The concerns may extend into adult populations of users as the older adolescents who had their learning impacted by COVID-19 are becoming adults who may have similar deficits in reading comprehension. Additionally, we examine and discuss the disparities in which groups had their education negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Reading deficits appear to be exacerbated in lower income households, and it is essential to consider how this interacts with recruiting needs for human factors studies.
Event Type
Poster Presentation
TimeTuesday, March 264:45pm - 6:15pm CDT
LocationSalon C
Digital Health
Simulation and Education
Hospital Environments
Medical and Drug Delivery Devices
Patient Safety Research and Initiatives