The Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) has revamped the patient flyers on YourVascularHealth.org—the Society’s patient-facing online patient resource—in an effort to lower the reading level of the material and improve accessibility for patients.
The site contains five flyers on the most common vascular conditions, including abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA), carotid artery disease, deep vein thrombosis (DVT), peripheral arterial disease (PAD), and varicose veins. Flyers are also available for other vascular conditions, among them aortic dissection, chronic venous insufficiency and acute limb ischemia.
“These updated resources help patients better understand vascular conditions and treatment options using clear, easy-to-read language,” the SVS reported in a recent email communique to members. “Vascular professionals are encouraged to link to these flyers on their practice websites, print and share them with patients in the office, or use them as educational resources during consultations.”
Earlier this year, Vascular Specialist reported on new data from a readability analysis of 15 of the patient education materials from the SVS which found that all but three exceeded the 8th-grade reading level, the threshold at which the average adult in the U.S. reads. Additionally, all 15 breached the 6th-grade reading level, the ceiling recommended by both the National Institutes for Health (NIH) and the American Medical Association (AMA).
The study was conducted by a team of researchers from Penn State College of Medicine in Hershey, Pennsylvania, led by senior author Faisal Aziz, MD, chief of vascular surgery at the institution, and presented during the 2025 Eastern Vascular Society (EVS) annual meeting in Nashville, Tennessee (Sept. 4–7) by Loui Othman, BS, a second-year medical student at Penn State.
YourVascularHealth.org is part of the SVS national Highway to Health campaign aimed at closing the vascular education gap through media outreach, educational resources and community events. The website offers an array of symptom checklists, videos, patient toolkits and guidance on finding vascular specialists.
