Assessing comprehension of online information in the United States for third-line treatment of overactive bladder

Werner, Zachary; Trump, Tyler; Zaslau, Stanley; Shapiro, Robert E.

doi:10.1007/s00192-022-05218-1

Cited by 4 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 16 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Numerous studies have been published assessing the readability of patient education materials, with a staggering trend towards texts written above the recommended grade level. [11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22] Our online queries yielded an average readability level that greatly surpassed the recommended 6th grade reading level set by the NIH and the AMA. Among the four different readability formulas, the lowest average readability level was equivalent to an 11th grade reading level.…”

Section: Discussion and Conclusion Discussionmentioning

confidence: 78%

“…Although a few patterns have been published regarding the difficult readability of non-profit websites, when examining the multitude of readability analyses, no clear trend emerges. [11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22] The Urology Care Foundation, a non-profit webpage, stands out as one of the lowest scored pages and thus was easily comprehensible. In a similar study, Routh et al compared internet sources between common and uncommon pediatric urology topics and found that webpages on uncommon topics like exstrophy had inferior accuracy and completeness.…”

Section: Discussion and Conclusion Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Clear as Mud: Readability Scores in Cloacal Exstrophy Literature and Its Treatment

Haffar,

Hirsch,

Morrill

et al. 2024

RRU

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This study examines the readability of online medical information regarding cloacal exstrophy (CE). We hypothesize that inappropriate levels of comprehension are required in these resources, leading to poor understanding and confusion amongst caregivers. Methods: The Google and Bing search engines were used to search the terms "cloacal exstrophy" and "cloacal exstrophy treatment". The first 100 results for each were collected. Each webpage was analyzed for readability using four independent validated scoring systems: the Gunning-Fog index (GFI), SMOG grade (Simple Measure of Gobbledygook), Dale-Chall index (DCI), and the Flesch-Kincaid grade (FKG). Results: Forty-seven unique webpages fit the inclusion criteria. Mean readability scores across all websites were GFI, 14.6; SMOG score, 10.8; DCI, 9.3; and FKG, 11.8, correlating to adjusted grade levels of college sophomore, 11th grade, college, and 11th grade, respectively. There were significant differences across all readability formulas. Non-profit websites were significantly less readable than institutional and commercial webpages (GFI p = 0.012, SMOG p = 0.018, DCI p = 0.021, FKG p = 0.0093). Conclusion: Caregiver-directed health information regarding CE and its treatment available online is written at the 11th grade reading level or above. Online resources pertaining to CE must be simplified to be effective.Plain Language Summary: Cloacal exstrophy is a rare severe birth defect that does not always show up in prenatal screening. Parents are often unfamiliar with this disease and must learn about the disease, procedures, and outcomes their child may have in a short amount of time. Online medical information has been recommended to be written at a 6th grade reading level so that the general public may understand. The authors of this study wanted to investigate if average websites that parents might find using common search engines would be easily understood. The authors used different search phrases on Google and Bing search engines, and used them to look at the top 100 search results for each. The text from each page was graded based on 4 different readability scoring systems. The authors found 47 unique webpages that matched the criteria and found that most pages had reading levels of about 11th grade-college level. Due to its rarity, the information available about cloacal exstrophy are similar and would likely be poorly understood by most parents. Hospital institutions and non-profit exstrophy programs need to make a concerted effort to work together to develop simple yet helpful information regarding this disease.

show abstract

Section: Discussion and Conclusion Discussionmentioning

confidence: 78%

Section: Discussion and Conclusion Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Clear as Mud: Readability Scores in Cloacal Exstrophy Literature and Its Treatment

Haffar,

Hirsch,

Morrill

et al. 2024

RRU

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Indeed, this challenge is not unique to the information on CBE nor that of urology, it is endemic to all fields of medicine. Countless studies have been published evaluating the readability of patient education materials online across multiple specialties, and the trend for information to be above the recommended reading level is overwhelming (14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(21)(22)(23)(24)(25)(26).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Complicating the already complex? Readability scores in bladder exstrophy and its treatment

et al. 2022

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

PurposeClassic bladder exstrophy (CBE), is a complex congenital malformation affecting formation of the lower abdominal wall and bladder. This study evaluates the readability of common online resources regarding CBE and its treatment. We hypothesize that high levels of reading comprehension are reflected in these resources, which may not be suitable to the general population for understanding this condition.MethodsThe search terms “bladder exstrophy” and “bladder exstrophy treatment” were reviewed on the Google search engine. The first 100 search results for each search query were collected. The readability of each webpage was assessed using a combination of four independent validated formulae: the Gunning-Fog index (GFI), SMOG grade (Simple Measure of Gobbledygook), Dale-Chall index (DCI), and the Flesch-Kincaid grade (FKG).ResultsA total of 200 search results were examined using the two search queries, yielding 72 unique webpages that fit the inclusionary criteria. The mean readability scores across all websites were a GFI of 14.3, SMOG score of 10, DCI of 9.06, and a FKG of 11.6. These scores correlate to adjusted grade levels of college sophomore, 11th grade, college, and 11th grade respectively. There was no significant difference of readability between website categories across GFI (p = 0.32), SMOG (p = 0.38), DCI (p = 0.33), and FKG (p = 0.36).ConclusionThis study demonstrates that online health information regarding CBE and its treatment is written at least the 11th grade reading level or above. This highlights the necessity to simplify online resources pertaining to CBE.

show abstract

“…The first 20 results available for each country were collected for each search term (n = 20 chronic pain , n = 20 persistent pain ) as the first 20 results receive the most traffic, and this number is commonly used. 21 , 42 …”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The first 20 results available for each country were collected for each search term (n 5 20 chronic pain, n 5 20 persistent pain) as the first 20 results receive the most traffic, and this number is commonly used. 21,42 Two reviewers then independently read and filtered the sources through the inclusion and exclusion criteria described above. The same search methodology was used to assess government health websites for each country.…”

Section: Search Strategymentioning

confidence: 99%

Online information on chronic pain in 3 countries: an assessment of readability, credibility, and accuracy

Basnet

Méndez

González

et al. 2023

PR9

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Objectives: To assess the readability, credibility, and accuracy of online information on chronic pain in Australia, Mexico, and Nepal. Methods: We assessed Google-based websites and government health websites about chronic pain for readability (using the Flesch Kincaid Readability Ease tool), credibility (using the Journal of American Medical Association [JAMA] benchmark criteria and Health on the Net Code [HONcode]), and accuracy (using 3 core concepts of pain science education: (1) pain does not mean my body is damaged; (2) thoughts, emotions, and experiences affect pain; and (3) I can retrain my overactive pain system). Results: We assessed 71 Google-based websites and 15 government websites. There were no significant between-country differences in chronic pain information retrieved through Google for readability, credibility, or accuracy. Based on readability scores, the websites were "fairly difficult to read," suitable for ages 15 to 17 years or grades 10 to 12 years. For credibility, less than 30% of all websites met the full JAMA criteria, and more than 60% were not HONcode certified. For accuracy, all 3 core concepts were present in less than 30% of websites. Moreover, we found that the Australian government websites have low readability but are credible, and the majority provided all 3 core concepts in pain science education. A single Mexican government website had low readability without any core concepts but was credible. Conclusion:The readability, credibility, and accuracy of online information on chronic pain should be improved internationally to support facilitating better management of chronic pain.

show abstract

Assessing comprehension of online information in the United States for third-line treatment of overactive bladder

Cited by 4 publications

References 16 publications

Clear as Mud: Readability Scores in Cloacal Exstrophy Literature and Its Treatment

Clear as Mud: Readability Scores in Cloacal Exstrophy Literature and Its Treatment

Complicating the already complex? Readability scores in bladder exstrophy and its treatment

Online information on chronic pain in 3 countries: an assessment of readability, credibility, and accuracy

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About