Understanding online health information: Evaluation, tools, and strategies

Beaunoyer, Elisabeth; Arsenault, Marianne; Lomanowska, Anna M.; Guitton, Matthieu J.

doi:10.1016/j.pec.2016.08.028

Cited by 151 publications

(116 citation statements)

References 70 publications

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“…Although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provides guidelines for vaccine administration, one study found that some health professionals were more likely to strongly recommend the vaccine to older children than to younger children, and to girls than to boys (8). As more parents and health professionals are turning to online resources for health information and communication, there is an opportunity to address barriers and misinformation through strategic information dissemination and communication (9,10). …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

What Drives Health Professionals to Tweet About #HPVvaccine? Identifying Strategies for Effective Communication

et al. 2018

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IntroductionWe conducted this study to quantify how health professionals use Twitter to communicate about the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine.MethodsWe collected 193,379 tweets from August 2014 through July 2015 that contained key words related to HPV vaccine. We classified all tweets on the basis of user, audience, sentiment, content, and vaccine characteristic to examine 3 groups of tweets: 1) those sent by health professionals, 2) those intended for parents, and 3) those sent by health professionals and intended for parents. For each group, we identified the 7-day period in our sample with the most number of tweets (spikes) to report content.ResultsOf the 193,379 tweets, 20,451 tweets were from health professionals; 16,867 tweets were intended for parents; and 1,233 tweets overlapped both groups. The content of each spike varied per group. The largest spike in tweets from health professionals (n = 851) focused on communicating recently published scientific evidence. Most tweets were positive and were about resources and boys. The largest spike in tweets intended for parents (n = 1,043) centered on a national awareness day and were about resources, personal experiences, boys, and girls. The largest spike in tweets from health professionals to parents (n = 89) was in January and centered on an event hosted on Twitter that focused on cervical cancer awareness month.ConclusionUnderstanding drivers of tweet spikes may help shape future communication and outreach. As more parents use social media to obtain health information, health professionals and organizations can leverage awareness events and personalize messages to maximize potential reach and parent engagement.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

What Drives Health Professionals to Tweet About #HPVvaccine? Identifying Strategies for Effective Communication

et al. 2018

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“…17 In selecting readability indices for HEMs, the FKGL is one of the most widely used. 18,32,33 However, the SMOG is recommended for consumer-oriented health care materials. 26,31,34 This recommendation is due to its development using a validation of 100% on a reading comprehension test.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quantitative readability analysis of websites providing information on traumatic brain injury and epilepsy: A need for clear communication

Correa

Milano²,

Kwon

et al. 2020

Epilepsia

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Objective The use of the Internet for health‐related questions is increasing, but it is not clear whether individuals can understand the information available online. Most health organizations recommend that health educational materials (HEMs) be written below the sixth grade reading level. This study was designed to evaluate the readability level of available online HEMs pertaining to traumatic brain injury (TBI), epilepsy, and posttraumatic epilepsy (PTE). Methods This cross‐sectional readability assessment included HEMs from TBI and epilepsy stakeholder organizations and those obtained from four Internet searches. The search strategy was designed to replicate a nonmedical individual's keyword searches. Each HEM was assessed with an online automated readability tool using three indices (Flesch Reading Ease Score, Flesch–Kincaid Grade Level, and Simple Measure of Gobbledygook). Findings were compared as a function of organization type (journalistic news or health organization), targeted medical condition (TBI, epilepsy, or PTE), or content topic (patient health education, clinical research education, or both). Results Readability analysis of 405 identified HEMs revealed scores above the sixth grade reading level recommendation. Only 6.2% of individual HEMs met the sixth grade recommendation. Journalistic news organizations’ HEMs had similar readability levels to health organizations’ HEMs. PTE‐related HEMs required the highest readability level, >11th grade (P < .001). There were significant differences in the readability scores (P < .01 for all indices) among HEMs with information on health education, research education, or both topics. The highest required readability level (>12 grade level) was for HEMs that included both health and research education. Significance The majority of TBI‐, epilepsy‐, and PTE‐related online HEMs do not meet the sixth grade reading recommendation. Improving the readability of HEMs may advance health literacy around TBI, epilepsy, and PTE, leading to more effective participant recruitment/retention strategies for future antiepileptogenesis trials in persons with TBI and perhaps better patient‐centered outcomes.

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“…This study has both strengths and limitations. Assessment of quality was performed using three parameters; content, readability and face validity, as suggested by Beaunoyer et al (2017) for the evaluation of online health information. It was not possible to assess the evidence base for the preparation of these materials.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…PIMs that provide simple, targeted, evidence-based and culturally appropriate messages on diet and nutrition from credible sources such as clinical settings and charitable organisations and are available to all patients with cancer, could prompt behaviour change. Guidance on the development of comprehensive PIMs includes evidence-based preparation, readability assessment, content assessment and consumer testing (Beaunoyer, Arsenault, Lomanowska, & Guitton, 2017;Lampert, Wien, Haefeli, & Seidling, 2016). Patient involvement has been reported as an essential part of the quality assessment of PIMs, as it reflects patients' perceived information needs (Smith et al, 2014).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Availability and quality assessment of online nutrition information materials for pelvic cancer patients in the UK

et al. 2019

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Objective Written information can be an essential source of support in the promotion of lifestyle changes after a cancer diagnosis. This study aimed to identify and assess the quality of available online patient information materials (PIMs) in relation to diet and nutrition for patients with pelvic cancer. Methods The online sources of the National Health Service, cancer centres and charitable organisations throughout the UK were searched. Content was assessed using an evidence‐based checklist, and readability with two validated formulas. Consumer feedback was sought through patient and public involvement (PPI) groups. Results Forty PIMs were identified; four were designed specifically for pelvic cancers (bladder, bowel, prostate) and 36 were generic (relevant for all cancers). Most PIMs had a good content score, with PIMs from charities scoring higher overall than PIMs from cancer centres [32 (4) vs. 23 (11), p < 0.001]. Seventy‐three percent of PIMs had a readability score within acceptable levels (6th–8th grade; reading ability of 11–14 year‐olds). PPI contributors found most PIMs useful and comprehensive but lacking specific information needed to meet individual needs. Conclusion There is limited availability of online PIMs for cancer survivors and even fewer tailored to pelvic cancers. Most materials have comprehensive content and acceptable readability. Some PIMs may require improvement.

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Understanding online health information: Evaluation, tools, and strategies

Cited by 151 publications

References 70 publications

What Drives Health Professionals to Tweet About #HPVvaccine? Identifying Strategies for Effective Communication

What Drives Health Professionals to Tweet About #HPVvaccine? Identifying Strategies for Effective Communication

Quantitative readability analysis of websites providing information on traumatic brain injury and epilepsy: A need for clear communication

Availability and quality assessment of online nutrition information materials for pelvic cancer patients in the UK

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