Use of a graphic design for oncology discharge instructions is preferred by pet owners over text-only instructions with identical readability

Objective: The objective of this study was to determine which format pet owners prefer for oncology discharge instructions. A secondary objective was to determine how pet owners access electronic information. Methods: In this experimental survey-based study, 114 owners of pets receiving chemotherapy between August 2024 and March 2025 at the Animal Medical Center in New York City read fictionalized oncology discharge instructions with the same content in 2 different formats: text and graphic design. Participants were asked to indicate their document preferences based on the US Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool. Results: Of the 82 responses received, 78 were analyzed. Fifty-eight percent of pet owners preferred graphic design discharge instructions, 23% selected both versions, and 19% selected text. Ninety-six percent used their smartphone to complete the survey. Pet owners' demographic distribution mirrored other studies of American pet owners, except for education level. Conclusions: When creating pet owner education documents, consideration must be given to readability, sentence structure, typography, and layout and content. Because pet owners used their smartphones to access information, consideration should be given to formatting online education materials for smartphone compatibility. Clinical Relevance: Information gained from this study can be used to create pet owner education materials that increase understanding and also meet the pet owner's formatting preferences. The results of this study can be generalized to other pet owners in the US, given the similarity of this study's pet owners to published data, with the exception of a higher education level.