Template Formulation and Specificity in Informed Consent Forms: Textual Similarity and Turkish Readability Analysis in Orthopedic Surgery
Batuhan Ayhan1, Samet Batuhan Yoğurt21Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology, Haymana State Hospital, Ankara, Türkiye, 2Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology, Kahta State Hospital, Adıyaman, Türkiye
Objectives: This study evaluated textual similarity and Turkish readability levels of informed consent forms used in orthopedic and traumatology surgery and investigated the relationship between template-based text formulation and readability parameters. Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive text analysis included 13 informed consent forms covering arthroplasty, trauma, tumor, amputation, hand, peripheral nerve, pediatric, and general orthopedic procedures. Documents were digitized and standardized by removing administrative and non-informative content. Textual similarity was assessed using TF–IDF vectorization with cosine similarity and three-word n-gram Jaccard analysis. Turkish readability was evaluated using Ateşman and Bezirci–Yılmaz formulas. Associations between similarity and readability were analyzed using Pearson and Spearman correlation tests. Results: The mean consent form length was 1,720 words (range: 1,050–2,380). Ateşman scores ranged from 4.8 to 46.1, indicating moderate-to-difficult readability, while Bezirci–Yılmaz scores (16.5–46.7) suggested postgraduate-level comprehension requirements. Mean textual similarity was 53.8%. A strong positive correlation was observed between textual similarity and Ateşman readability (r=0.85, p<0.001), whereas no significant association was found with Bezirci– Yılmaz scores. Conclusion: Orthopedic consent forms are largely template-based and exceed patient-level readability. Simplified, procedure-specific, and visually supported materials may improve patient understanding. Keywords: Informed consent, Readability, Textual similarity
Cite This Article
Ayhan B, Yoğurt S. Template Formulation and Specificity in Informed Consent Forms: Textual Similarity and Turkish Readability Analysis in Orthopedic Surgery. EJMI. 2026; 10(1): 84-89
Corresponding Author: Batuhan Ayhan