For most of my writing, I use the one word, 'breastfeeding'. However, in
my hospital, the requirement is to write ALL patient ed materials on a
4th grade level. That usually forces me to break it up into two words,
so I can use such words as 'areola' and 'colostrum' and 'infection',
etc.
To fit that category, there can be no more than two (2), count 'em TWO
3-syllable words in any given 30 sentences. Hyphenated words are counted
as one word, not two. This even starts an argument about the syllables
in 'diaper'. Is it DI-per or DI-a-per? I fight for every syllable I can
eliminate when trying to write patient ed materials. This is because our
patient population is predominantly low income / WIC people. Admin
refuses to permit writing the same materials at two different reading
levels.
We are beginning to take on more private pay & insured patients who tend
to be very well employed. Let's see what happens when they start reading
these instruction sheets. I can only hope someone will comment on it on
their discharge surveys.
BTW: I think this e-mail is written on at least an 11th or 12th grade
level: 14 sentences & over 2 dozen 3+ syllable words.

Phyllis Adamson, IBCLC
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