Development and assessment of reliable patient-based hypodontia website

Abstract

BackgroundThe aim of the study was to develop a high-quality valid patient information website with regard to hypodontia and its management, and to test its effectiveness in delivering this information.MethodsA patient-based hypodontia website was created and placed on the Trust’s website. It was then validated using five website assessment tools: Flesch reading ease score, LIDA, DISCERN, Journal of American Medical Association and Health on the Net seal. A cross-sectional prospective design was adopted using a 15-item questionnaire to assess the effectiveness of the newly created hypodontia website in helping participants understand their management. New patients attending their first hypodontia clinic consultation appointment were invited to complete the questionnaire both before and after visiting the website.ResultsThe newly created hypodontia website scored well with the website validation tools in comparison with previously assessed hypodontia websites. Forty participants (25 female) took part in the questionnaire study, with a mean age of 15.3 (SD 6.1) years. After visiting the website, 85% of participants felt the website was helpful in understanding hypodontia, with an observed improvement in all domains of the questionnaire, reaching statistical significance (p<0.05–0.001) in 10 of the 15 items.ConclusionThis study found that patients felt that a hypodontia website was effective in improving their perceived knowledge of hypodontia.

The Readability and Quality of Web-Based Patient Information on Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma: Quantitative Content Analysis

“…The overall JAMA score for all websites assessed was 2.8, with 60% (34/57) of the websites achieving a JAMA score of >2. No website met all the JAMA criteria, which is a recurrent theme in many studies [ 10 , 52 - 55 ]. However, according to DISCERN scores, the quality of most websites ranged from excellent to fair.…”

“…The overall DISCERN score for all websites evaluated was 57.6, which is considered “good” according to the criteria, with 28% (16/57) of websites achieving a score of ≥68, which is considered “excellent.” Furthermore, although no statistical differences between websites were found in the quality sections of the DISCERN tool, significant differences in reliability were observed, with hospitals scoring the lowest in this section. JAMA enables quick assessment; however, because minimal guidance is provided for using the tool, the results may be influenced by the user [ 52 , 56 ]. Furthermore, Bharmal and Johal [ 52 ] suggested that as JAMA uses binary yes or no questions rather than a scale, it may judge websites more harshly than other tools.…”

“…JAMA enables quick assessment; however, because minimal guidance is provided for using the tool, the results may be influenced by the user [ 52 , 56 ]. Furthermore, Bharmal and Johal [ 52 ] suggested that as JAMA uses binary yes or no questions rather than a scale, it may judge websites more harshly than other tools. This is exemplified by literature, as websites across many disciplines, such as dental care, pediatric care, and oncology, tend to score lower on JAMA benchmarks than other tools [ 10 , 52 - 55 , 57 , 58 ].…”

“…Furthermore, Bharmal and Johal [ 52 ] suggested that as JAMA uses binary yes or no questions rather than a scale, it may judge websites more harshly than other tools. This is exemplified by literature, as websites across many disciplines, such as dental care, pediatric care, and oncology, tend to score lower on JAMA benchmarks than other tools [ 10 , 52 - 55 , 57 , 58 ]. In addition, the relevance of JAMA criteria to some websites has been questioned by some researchers.…”

The quality and reliability of the Internet as a source of information for hypodontia patients

“…There has been little published in relation to the quality of information online and hypodontia (Barber et al, 2018; Bharmal and Johal, 2018). Hypodontia is the most common craniofacial malformation, affecting approximately 6% of the population.…”