Readability of online materials for Dupuytren's contracture

Santos, Pauline Joy F; Daar, David A.; Badeau, Austin; Leis, Amber

doi:10.1016/j.jht.2017.07.005

Cited by 20 publications

(32 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…Since the development of the internet, the primary source of medical information for patients has shifted from expert opinion to online materials. 1 , 2 Furthermore, the patriarchal, physician-centered practice of medicine has evolved toward a patient-centered, SDM process. 1 , 17 , 18 Access to online information allows an increased participation of patients in the decision-making process, and it is thus imperative that this material be of high quality and comprehensible to the general public.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“… 1 , 4 , 5 However, previous studies evaluating the readability of various surgical subspecialty topics reported grade levels ranging from 10th to 15th grade. 1 , 3 , 4 , 7 …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Patients, unlike physicians, often lack formal training to evaluate data. 1 A tool providing objective quality scores is therefore essential to ensure that they are directed toward suitable websites.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Readability and Quality Assessment of Online Materials for Syndactyly Release

Saleh

Gornitsky

Jaloux

et al. 2022

Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery - Global Open

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Background: Syndactyly is one of the most common congenital hand malformations, involving an abnormal fusion of digits and with treatment varying according to its complexity. The internet has become a primary source of information for both families and patients with congenital hand anomalies. The purpose of this study was to evaluate both the readability and quality of available web content for syndactyly, using validated instruments. Methods: Two independent reviewers conducted searches for “Syndactyly” using three of the largest online search engines: Bing, Google, and Yahoo. The top 10 websites for each search engine, along with any webpage within one click of the parent website, were analyzed. Readability was assessed using seven established quantitative tests. The quality of the web pages was analyzed using the Discern questionnaire and handbook. Results: A total of 15 websites were included in the analysis. The average readability of all websites was equivalent to comprehension at a grade 11.3 level. The average Flesch reading ease score was 49.3 out of 100, which is considered difficult to read. Quality was assessed using Discern, a brief questionnaire consisting of 16 questions with five points attributed per question. The mean quality score using Discern was 33.3 points out of a maximum of 80 points. Conclusions: Online materials pertaining to the treatment of syndactyly far exceed the recommended sixth-grade reading level, and lack in terms of quality and comprehensiveness of information. Health care professionals should be cognizant of the paucity of available online information and provide patients with more appropriate resources.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“… 1 , 4 , 5 However, previous studies evaluating the readability of various surgical subspecialty topics reported grade levels ranging from 10th to 15th grade. 1 , 3 , 4 , 7 …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Readability and Quality Assessment of Online Materials for Syndactyly Release

Saleh

Gornitsky

Jaloux

et al. 2022

Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery - Global Open

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“…A commonly used scale is the Flesch-Kincaid scale [25], with the recommended reading level for patient information from sixth to eighth grade [26]. Santos et al analyzed the reading level of the top 10 websites for Dupuytren's information in 2017 and found an average reading grade level of 10.2, with none of the websites falling into the recommended reading level [27]. This is similar to the findings of various other studies that reviewed the reading level of orthopedic information on the internet [28][29][30][31].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Evaluation of the Source and Content of Dupuytren’s Disease Information Available on the Internet

Plusch¹,

Carfagno²,

Givner³

et al. 2021

Cureus

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Introduction The internet continues to expand in both size and number of users, and patients are using the internet with increasing frequency to research orthopedic conditions and treatment options. Despite the prevalence of patients searching for medical information, the quality of the available information varies substantially. The purpose of this study was to investigate the reliability and accuracy of the information available on the internet for Dupuytren’s disease. We hypothesized that the informational content found on the internet regarding this condition would be of acceptable quality. Methods The search phrasing “‘Dupuytren’ OR ‘Dupuytren’s’” was used to mimic how patients would likely search for information on the disease. These terms were entered into the five English-language search engines with the most frequent use on the internet. On each search engine, the first 50 URLs were recorded, including sponsored sites. The 250 total sites were filtered to remove duplicate sites and URLs linking to other search engines, resulting in a final list of 84 websites for informational scoring. A previously published information evaluation protocol was used to grade each website. Each site was graded according to these guidelines by two authors and scored based on authorship, content, disease summary, treatment options, pathogenesis, complications, and results. A third author resolved any conflict on authorship or content before analysis. The resultant “informational value” is the sum of the disease summary, treatment options, pathogenesis, complications, and results and can range from 0-100. Results The mean total information score for all sites was 47.5 out of 100 points. Forty-three (51.2%) of the websites evaluated were authored by a physician or academic institution, and thirty-four (40.5%) of the sites were commercial in nature. The final seven websites (8.3%) had nonphysician, unidentified, or lay authorship. Physician and academic institution authored websites had an average informational score of 55.5 out of 100 points, compared to 39.7 out of 100 for all other websites. This difference was statistically significant (p <0.01). The mean informational score for the 10 sponsored websites was 16.4 out of 100. Conclusion We concluded that internet information on Dupuytren’s disease is of poor quality and incomplete. Academic and physician authored sites have higher quality than commercial sites, but significant room for improvement still exists. Patients should be advised to identify the authorship of the websites they obtain information from and avoid advertisements and commercial sites.

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“…Despite the growing volume of online health information, its universal impact can be limited by the complexity of the information presented. 2 Prior studies show that educational materials for patients, across different medical fields, are more complex [3][4][5] than the average reading level in the United States, which is around 8th grade. 6 The National Institutes of Health (NIH) recommends that patient education material is written at a 7th and 8th grade level.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Optimizing genetics online resources for diverse readers

Chang

Penón-Portmann

Shieh

2020

Genetics in Medicine

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Purpose: Clear and accurate genetic information should be available to health-care consumers at an individualized level of comprehension. The objective of this study is to evaluate the complexity of common online resources and to simplify text content using automated text processing tools. Methods: We extracted all text from Genetics Home Reference and MedlinePlus in bulk and analyzed content using natural language processing. We applied custom tools to improve the readability and compared readability before and after text optimization. Results: Commonly used educational materials were more complex than the recommended reading level for the general public. Genetic health information entries from Genetics Home Reference (n = 1279) were written at a median 13.0 grade level. MedlinePlus entries, which are not exclusively genetic (n = 1030), had a median grade level of 7.7. When we optimized text for the 59 actionable conditions by prioritizing medical details using a standard structure, the average reading grade level improved. Conclusion: Factors that increase complexity are long sentences and difficult words. Future strategies to reduce complexity include prioritizing relevant details and using more illustrations. Simplifying and providing standardized online health resources would benefit diverse consumers and promote inclusivity.

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Readability of online materials for Dupuytren's contracture

Cited by 20 publications

References 30 publications

Readability and Quality Assessment of Online Materials for Syndactyly Release

Readability and Quality Assessment of Online Materials for Syndactyly Release

An Evaluation of the Source and Content of Dupuytren’s Disease Information Available on the Internet

Optimizing genetics online resources for diverse readers

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