The readability of online patient information about laser resurfacing therapy

Sharma, Ajay; Martin, Brent; Shive, Melissa; Zachary, Christopher B.

doi:10.5070/d3264048343

Cited by 9 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…In this study, the 22 sites with online education materials related to vocal cord leukoplakia were written at readability levels above those recommended by the AMA/NIH. These results are consistent with many other readability studies that have been published within otolaryngology 7,8,20,28–33 and other specialties 34–43 …”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

“…These results are consistent with many other readability studies that have been published within otolaryngology 7,8,20,[28][29][30][31][32][33] and other specialties. [34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43] Similarly, PEMAT-P understandability and actionability scores were low. The understandability score of 73.65% 6 7.05% in this study is comparable but a bit higher than that of similar studies on other topics, which reported scores ranging from 62.8% to 66.0%.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Readability of Online Materials Related to Vocal Cord Leukoplakia

Shneyderman

Snow²,

Davis³

et al. 2021

OTO Open

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Objectives To assess readability and understandability of online materials for vocal cord leukoplakia. Study Design Review of online materials. Setting Academic medical center. Methods A Google search of “vocal cord leukoplakia” was performed, and the first 50 websites were considered for analysis. Readability was measured by the Flesch Reading Ease Score (FRES), Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL), and Simple Measure of Gobbledygook (SMOG). Understandability and actionability were assessed by 2 independent reviewers with the PEMAT-P (Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool for Printable Materials). Unpaired t tests compared scores between sites aimed at physicians and those at patients, and a Cohen’s kappa was calculated to measure interrater reliability. Results Twenty-two websites (17 patient oriented, 5 physician oriented) met inclusion criteria. For the entire cohort, FRES, FKGL, and SMOG scores (mean ± SD) were 36.90 ± 20.65, 12.96 ± 3.28, and 15.65 ± 3.57, respectively, indicating that materials were difficult to read at a >12th-grade level. PEMAT-P understandability and actionability scores were 73.65% ± 7.05% and 13.63% ± 22.47%. Statistically, patient-oriented sites were more easily read than physician-oriented sites ( P < .02 for each of the FRES, FKGL, and SMOG comparisons); there were no differences in understandability or actionability scores between these categories of sites. Conclusion Online materials for vocal cord leukoplakia are written at a level more advanced than what is recommended for patient education materials. Awareness of the current ways that these online materials are failing our patients may lead to improved education materials in the future.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Readability of Online Materials Related to Vocal Cord Leukoplakia

Shneyderman

Snow²,

Davis³

et al. 2021

OTO Open

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“…10 The metrics used to assess readability in this study include the Flesch–Kincaid reading ease score & grade level, the Gunning fog score, the SMOG index, the Coleman–Liau index, and the automated readability index, all of which have been used to assess the readability of online health information. 36 However, the overwhelming majority of web sites, and with some metrics, 100% of the web sites, had an average reading grade level above the eighth grade (Fig. 1 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Assessing the Quality, Reliability, and Readability of Online Information on Dry Eye Disease

Oydanich

Kuklinski

Asbell

2022

Cornea

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The purpose of this study was to assess the quality, reliability, readability, and technical quality of web sites relating to dry eye disease.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted that evaluated the first 75 web sites on a Google Search by using the keyword "dry eyes." Each web site was evaluated by 2 independent reviewers using the DISCERN, HONcode, and JAMA criteria to assess quality and reliability. Interrater reliability was also analyzed. Readability was assessed using the Flesch-Kincaid readability tests and the Gunning fog, Simple Measure of Gobbledygook, Coleman-Liau, and automated readability indices. Technical quality was determined by the presence of 10 specific features. Web sites were further categorized into institutional (academic centers, medical associations, and government institutions) and private (private practices) categories.Results: There was no significant difference in scoring observed between the 2 reviewers. The overall mean DISCERN score 6 standard error (SE) was 3.2 6 0.1, the mean HONcode score (6SE) was 9.3 6 0.3, and the mean JAMA score (6SE) was 1.9 6 0.1. Institutional web sites had a higher DISCERN score (3.4 6 0.1 vs. 3.1 6 0.1; P , 0.05) and HONcode score (10.3 6 0.5 vs. 8.8 6 0.4; P , 0.05) than private sites. Technical quality was higher in institutional web sites compared with private web sites (P , 0.05). Readability was poor among all web sites, with most web sites not achieving below a ninth grade reading level.Conclusions: Quality, reliability, and readability scores were low for most web sites. Although institutional web sites achieved higher scores than private web sites, revision is warranted to improve their overall quality of information and readability profile.

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“…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

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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.

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The readability of online patient information about laser resurfacing therapy

Cited by 9 publications

References 27 publications

Readability of Online Materials Related to Vocal Cord Leukoplakia

Readability of Online Materials Related to Vocal Cord Leukoplakia

Assessing the Quality, Reliability, and Readability of Online Information on Dry Eye Disease

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

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