Readability of Online Spine Patient Education Resources

Luciani, Antonio; Foster, Brian K.; Hayes, Daniel S.; DelSole, Edward M.

doi:10.1016/j.wneu.2022.03.091

Cited by 9 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…Our findings here are, to our knowledge, the most comprehensive examination of the readability of patient‐facing information presented on social media within otolaryngology. They add to an existing body of literature that suggests that online and written patient educational materials are written at a reading level that is too high for many patients to comprehend 15,18,30,39,41 . Further, they show that social media, which many presume to be easily understandable and accessible to all patients, is still incomprehensible for many.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 82%

“…Except for text in images on Facebook and Instagram, all platforms and modalities were written at a more than sixth-grade level, with some, such as captions on Instagram, as high as a 12th-grade level, similar to that in traditional online patient education material. 15,18,[39][40][41] There is little prior research examining the readability of information presented on social media. A recent study by Chen et al examined the readability of articles linked on Twitter with the #PlasticSurgery tag, and found that the mean reading levels for linked journal articles were over 17 on the SMOG scale, while linked articles written for patient education were more easily readable at 13.9.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…They add to an existing body of literature that suggests that online and written patient educational materials are written at a reading level that is too high for many patients to comprehend. 15,18,30,39,41 Further, they show that social media, which many presume to be easily understandable and accessible to all patients, is still incomprehensible for many. The medical community must continue efforts at ensuring that patient educational materials are comprehensible by patients and assist patients in playing an active role in their healthcare decisions.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, we found in this study that the medical information presented on social media platforms about common otolaryngology diagnoses was written at a higher reading level than recommended. Except for text in images on Facebook and Instagram, all platforms and modalities were written at a more than sixth‐grade level, with some, such as captions on Instagram, as high as a 12th‐grade level, similar to that in traditional online patient education material 15,18,39‐41 …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Readability of Patient‐Facing Social Media Posts on Common Otolaryngologic Diagnoses

Morse,

Odigie,

Gillespie

et al. 2023

Otolaryngol.--head neck surg.

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ObjectiveTo assess the readability of patient‐facing educational information about the most common otolaryngology diagnoses on popular social media platforms.Study DesignCross‐sectional study.SettingSocial media platforms.MethodsThe top 5 otolaryngologic diagnoses were identified from the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey Database. Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, and Instagram were searched using these terms, and the top 25 patient‐facing posts from unique accounts for each search term and poster type (otolaryngologist, other medical professional, layperson) were identified. Captions, text, and audio from images and video, and linked articles were extracted. The readability of each post element was calculated with multiple readability formulae. Readability was summarized and was compared between poster types, platforms, and search terms via Kruskal‐Wallis testing.ResultsMedian readability, by grade level, by grade level, was greater than 10 for captions, 5 for image‐associated text, and 9 for linked articles. Captions and images in posts by laypeople were significantly more readable than captions by otolaryngologists or other medical professionals, but there was no difference for linked articles. All post components were more readable in posts about cerumen than those about other search terms.ConclusionsWhen examining the readability of posts on social media regarding the most common otolaryngology diagnoses, we found that many posts are less readable than recommended for patients, and found that posts by laypeople were significantly more readable than those by medical professionals. Medical professionals should work to make educational social media posts more readable to facilitate patient comprehension.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 82%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

The Readability of Patient‐Facing Social Media Posts on Common Otolaryngologic Diagnoses

Morse,

Odigie,

Gillespie

et al. 2023

Otolaryngol.--head neck surg.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Finally, this study does not include mediators. In fact, the readability (e.g., exceeding patients' average reading level) of online resources may affect education of patients ( 77 ). Future research could introduce readability as a mediator to instigate online knowledge sharing and patient education.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Is physician online information sharing always beneficial to patient education? An attention perspective

Guo

Zhou

Chang

et al. 2022

Front. Public Health

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AimsWith the development of information technology, online health platforms and physician online information sharing play an important role in public health management and patient education. Is physician online information sharing always beneficial to patient education? From the attention perspective, this study aims to explore how physician online information sharing influences patient education, considering the contingent roles of physician online reputation and offline expertise.MethodsA 6-month panel data of 61,566 physician-month observations from an online health platform in China was used to tested the proposed hypotheses. Considering the inefficiency and estimated bias of the ordinary least squares regression model, this study conducted the fixed models to test the direct and moderating effects.ResultsThe results indicate that physician online information sharing is positively related to potential patient education, while the relationship between physician online information sharing and realized patient education is an inverted U-shape. Physician online reputation enhances the positive relationship between physician online information sharing and potential patient education, but physician offline expertise weakens the abovementioned relationship. In addition, physician offline expertise flattens the curvilinear effect of physician online information sharing on realized patient education.ConclusionThis study contributes to the literature about attention theory and information sharing for patient education, and provides implications for practice.

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Readability of spine-related patient education materials: a standard method for improvement

et al. 2023

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Readability of Online Spine Patient Education Resources

Cited by 9 publications

References 32 publications

The Readability of Patient‐Facing Social Media Posts on Common Otolaryngologic Diagnoses

The Readability of Patient‐Facing Social Media Posts on Common Otolaryngologic Diagnoses

Is physician online information sharing always beneficial to patient education? An attention perspective

Readability of spine-related patient education materials: a standard method for improvement

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