Easy Read Health Information for people with Intellectual Disabilities: a systematic review of the evidence

BACKGROUND: Easy Read materials are sometimes provided by healthcare services to help people with intellectual disabilities to understand written information. This study examined literature on the development, review, regulation, delivery, and impact of Easy Read health information (ERHI) with the aim of elucidating best practice. METHODS: A systematic review of five bibliographic databases and three grey literature databases was registered, conducted, and synthesised using meta-aggregation. Studies from 2006 onward regarding ERHI for individuals with intellectual disabilities were included. RESULTS: The twenty-nine included studies revealed variability in ERHI development, review, and quality control processes. Individuals with intellectual disabilities valued ERHI and assistance in appraising it, however empirical evidence of ERHI effectiveness was limited. CONCLUSIONS: ERHI's empirical evidence base is underdeveloped and largely consists of low-quality research. Subjective and inconsistent application of guidance leads to variable ERHI quality. Standardised resources and rigorous research are needed to evaluate ERHI as a health education intervention.