A reader group is a group of patients, carers, members of the public, volunteers and staff who review patient literature and help us improve the quality of information. Members of a Reader Group are asked to review draft copies of patient information documents, leaflets and other literature, to help HDFT ensure that they are providing clear and easy to understand information prior to publication.
Feedback and comments gathered from the reader group help to shape information materials and assess the information to decide if it is suitable for the intended audience. It is an integral part of the quality assessment process at the Trust.
Reader Group Volunteers are provided with copies of the required material for review along with an item brief and a feedback form. The reader group will be invited to comment from a patient/public perspective; specifically looking at the formatting, how easy it is to understand, whether anything is missing and how suitable it is for other people in the community. The Reader Group will be asked to provide feedback on the following questions when reviewing any documents, leaflets or literature:
· Is it clear who the document is for, who it is from and what it is about?
· Is the design eye catching?
· Is the information and content simple and easy to understand?
· Is the text free of unexplained medical terms?
· Is the content free of spelling, accuracy or grammar issues?
· Is the resource Informative and everything the patient may need to know?
· Is it clear on who to contact and how if there were queries?
· Are there links to other useful information or websites?
· Is the information provided in a sympathetic and sensitive manner?
· Is there information clearly laid out, clean and uncluttered?
· Is there sufficient in its contrast between the backgrounds and text colours used?
· Are photos and images used appropriately?
· Is the resource offered in an alternative format? (E.g. another language, braille, etc.)
