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Suitability Assessment

of Materials

IDN-550-01 Communication Design Workshop

Ichikawa Fall 2022

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What is Suitability Assessment of Materials?

Suitability Assessment of Materials or better known as SAM, is a brief yet comprehensive systematic method to assess the suitability of health information.

The assessment is divided into 6 main sections, or “factors” that are to be rated with a numerical score (N/A to 2 points), to determine the level of interpretation.

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Using SAM to Evaluate a Health Document

  1. Read through the SAM factor list and the evaluation criteria.
  2. Read the material (or view the video) you wish to evaluate and write brief statements as to its purpose(s) and keypoints.
  3. For short instructions, evaluate the entire piece. For long instructions, select samples to evaluate.
  4. Evaluate and score each of the 22 SAM factors.
  5. Calculate total suitability score.
  6. Decide on the impact of deficiencies and what action to take.

Steps Courtesy of: Doak C, Doak L, Root J. Teaching patients with low literacy skills

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1. Content

Relativity and correct usage of material within the health information document.

Undermining factors:

  1. Purpose is evident
  2. Content about behaviors
  3. Scope is limited
  4. Summary or review included

Source: World Health Organization, Coronavirus Disease 2019

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2. Literacy Demand

Ease of reading and understanding on given material.

Undermining factors:

  1. Reading grade level
  2. Writing Style, active voice
  3. Vocabulary uses common words
  4. Context is given first
  5. Learning aids via “road signs”

Source: UCMC, Community Health Needs Assessment 2021-2022

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3. Graphics

Proper usage of visuals and ease of understanding through appropriate descriptions.

Undermining factors:

  1. Cover graphic shows purpose
  2. Type of graphics
  3. Relevance of illustrations
  4. List, tables, etc. explained
  5. Captions used for graphics

Source: UCMC, Community Health Needs Assessment 2021-2022

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4. Layout & Typography

Intentional treatment of content allows for consistency and ease of reading.

Undermining factors:

  1. Layout is easy to follow and clutter-free
  2. Typography treatment and hierarchy
  3. Subheads (“chunking”) used to breakdown long concepts and lists

Source: UCMC, Community Health Needs Assessment 2021-2022

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5. Learning Stimulation, Motivation

Support active learning and behavior-change.

Undermining factors:

  1. Interaction is provoked via activities
  2. Behaviors are modeled and specific
  3. Motivation leads to self-efficacy

Source: UCMC, Physical Activity Handout

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6. Cultural Appropriateness

Content is culturally-tailored to the intended audience.

Undermining factors:

  1. Match in logic, language, experience
  2. Images and examples present the culture in a positive and realistic way

Source: NYC Health, Transgender Men Health Booklet

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SAM

Readability Formulas

Assessment Lists

Overview

Processing time

30-45 min

Varied

<15 min

Useful for

Identifying aspects that decrease suitability for change

Determining reading grade level of materials

Sorting out good and not so good materials

Assessment criteria

Rated on content, literacy demand, graphics, layout & typography, learning stimulation/motivation, cultural appropriateness

Calculated based on word difficulty & sentence length

Attributes met regarding organization, writing style, appearance, appeal

Sample tools

Hand calculation using SAM

Fry formula, computer-based programs, language-specific programs

17-item checklist

Applicable for

Print material

X

X

X

Illustration

X

​

​

Video instructions

X

​

​

Audio instructions

X

​

​

Additional features

Language-specific

​

X

12 languages available

​

Computer-aided

​

X

​

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Available Tools To Support The Process?

Suitability Assessment of Materials is conducted through a standardized checklist - while some health institutions might have their own version of the SAM, they all follow the same grading criteria order.

Source: Doak C, Doak L, Root J. Teaching patients with low literacy skills

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HMW Apply This to Our Work?

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Format

Considerations

Print material

  • Short materials (1 page, twofold or threefold pamphlet): assess entire instruction
  • Longer materials: assess 3-6 pages that deal with the purpose of the booklet
  • Factors 5A, 5B, 5C may not apply if materials are intended to inform without behavior change: subtract 2 points for each N/A from the 44 point total

Illustration

  • Factors 2A, 2E, may not apply: subtract 2 points for each N/A from the 44 point total

Video instructions

  • Short materials (<10 minutes): assess entire instruction
  • Longer materials (>10 minutes): assess 2-minute blocks from beginning, middle & end

Audio instructions

  • Factors 2A, 2E, may not apply: subtract 2 points for each N/A from the 44 point total

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Appendix

Suitability Assessment of Materials

IDN-550-01 Communication Design Workshop

Ichikawa Fall 2022