An objective analysis of quality and readability of online information on COVID-19

AbstractHigh quality, readable health information is vital to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of this study was to assess the quality and readability of online COVID-19 information using 6 validated tools. This is a cross-sectional study. “COVID-19” was searched across the three most popular English language search engines. Quality was evaluated using the DISCERN score, Journal of the American Medical Association benchmark criteria and Health On the Net Foundation Code of Conduct. Readability was assessed using the Flesch Reading Ease Score, Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level and Gunning-Fog Index. 41 websites were suitable for analysis. 9.8% fulfilled all JAMA criteria. Only one website was HONCode certified. Mean DISCERN score was 47.8/80 (“fair”). This was highest in websites published by a professional society/medical journal/healthcare provider. Readability varied from an 8th to 12th grade level. The overall quality of online COVID-19 information was “fair”. Much of this information was above the recommended 5th to 6th grade level, impeding access for many.

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Readability and Quality of Online Information on Osteoarthritis: An Objective Analysis With Historic Comparison (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.12855 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Kieran Edward Murray ◽

Timothy Eanna Murray ◽

Anna Caroline O'Rourke ◽

Candice Low ◽

Douglas James Veale

Keyword(s):

Grade Level ◽

English Language ◽

Assessment Tool ◽

Code Of Conduct ◽

Online Information ◽

Flesch Reading Ease ◽

12Th Grade ◽

8Th Grade ◽

Ease Score

BACKGROUND Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common cause of disability in people older than 65 years. Readability of online OA information has never been assessed. A 2003 study found the quality of online OA information to be poor. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to review the readability and quality of current online information regarding OA. METHODS The term osteoarthritis was searched across the three most popular English language search engines. The first 25 pages from each search engine were analyzed. Duplicate pages, websites featuring paid advertisements, inaccessible pages (behind a pay wall, not available for geographical reasons), and nontext pages were excluded. Readability was measured using Flesch Reading Ease Score, Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level, and Gunning-Fog Index. Website quality was scored using the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) benchmark criteria and the DISCERN criteria. Presence or absence of the Health On the Net Foundation Code of Conduct (HONcode) certification, age of content, content producer, and author characteristics were noted. RESULTS A total of 37 unique websites were found suitable for analysis. Readability varied by assessment tool from 8th to 12th grade level. This compares with the recommended 7th to 8th grade level. Of the 37, 1 (2.7%) website met all 4 JAMA criteria. Mean DISCERN quality of information for OA websites was “fair,” compared with the “poor” grading of a 2003 study. HONcode-endorsed websites (43%, 16/37) were of a statistically significant higher quality. CONCLUSIONS Readability of online health information for OA was either equal to or more difficult than the recommended level.

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Readability and Quality of Online Information on Osteoarthritis: An Objective Analysis With Historic Comparison

Interactive Journal of Medical Research ◽

10.2196/12855 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 8 (3) ◽

pp. e12855 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Kieran Edward Murray ◽

Timothy Eanna Murray ◽

Anna Caroline O'Rourke ◽

Candice Low ◽

Douglas James Veale

Keyword(s):

Grade Level ◽

English Language ◽

Assessment Tool ◽

Code Of Conduct ◽

Online Information ◽

Flesch Reading Ease ◽

12Th Grade ◽

8Th Grade ◽

Ease Score

Background Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common cause of disability in people older than 65 years. Readability of online OA information has never been assessed. A 2003 study found the quality of online OA information to be poor. Objective The aim of this study was to review the readability and quality of current online information regarding OA. Methods The term osteoarthritis was searched across the three most popular English language search engines. The first 25 pages from each search engine were analyzed. Duplicate pages, websites featuring paid advertisements, inaccessible pages (behind a pay wall, not available for geographical reasons), and nontext pages were excluded. Readability was measured using Flesch Reading Ease Score, Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level, and Gunning-Fog Index. Website quality was scored using the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) benchmark criteria and the DISCERN criteria. Presence or absence of the Health On the Net Foundation Code of Conduct (HONcode) certification, age of content, content producer, and author characteristics were noted. Results A total of 37 unique websites were found suitable for analysis. Readability varied by assessment tool from 8th to 12th grade level. This compares with the recommended 7th to 8th grade level. Of the 37, 1 (2.7%) website met all 4 JAMA criteria. Mean DISCERN quality of information for OA websites was “fair,” compared with the “poor” grading of a 2003 study. HONcode-endorsed websites (43%, 16/37) were of a statistically significant higher quality. Conclusions Readability of online health information for OA was either equal to or more difficult than the recommended level.

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P126 An analysis of the quality and readability of online information for osteoarthritis

Rheumatology ◽

10.1093/rheumatology/keaa111.121 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 59 (Supplement_2) ◽

Author(s):

Kieran Murray ◽

Timothy Murray ◽

Candice Low ◽

Anna O'Rourke ◽

Douglas J Veale

Keyword(s):

Grade Level ◽

English Language ◽

Assessment Tool ◽

Scoring Systems ◽

Online Information ◽

Flesch Reading Ease ◽

12Th Grade ◽

8Th Grade ◽

Ease Score

Abstract Background Osteoarthritis is the most common cause of disability in people over 65 years old. The readability of of online osteoarthritis information has never been assessed. A 2003 study found the quality of online osteoarthritis information to be poor. This study reviews the quality of online information regarding osteoarthritis in 2018 using three validated scoring systems. Readability is reviewed for the first time, again using three validated tools. Methods The term osteoarthritis was searched across the three most popular English language search engines. The first 25 pages from each search engine were analysed. Duplicate pages, websites featuring paid advertisements, inaccessible pages (behind a pay wall, not available for geographical reasons) and non-text pages were excluded. Readability was measured using Flesch Reading Ease Score (FRES), Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL) and Gunning-Fog Index (GFI). Website quality was scored using the the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) benchmark criteria and DISCERN criteria. Presence or absence of HONcode certification, age of content, content producer and author characteristics were noted. Results 37 unique websites were suitable for analysis. Readability varied by assessment tool from 8th to 12th grade level. This compares with the recommended 7- 8th grade level. One (2.7%) website met all four JAMA Criteria. Mean DISCERN quality of information for OA websites was “fair”, comparing favourably with the “poor” grading of a 2003 study. HONCode endorsed websites (43.2%) were of a statistically significantly higher quality. Conclusion Quality of online health information for OA is “fair”. 2.7% of websites met JAMA benchmark criteria for quality. Readability was equal to or more difficult than recommendations. HONcode certification was indicative of higher quality, but not readability. Disclosures K. Murray None. T. Murray None. C. Low None. A. O'Rourke None. D.J. Veale None.

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Critical Quality and Readability Analysis of Online Patient Education Materials on Parotidectomy: A Cross-Sectional Study

Annals of Otology Rhinology & Laryngology ◽

10.1177/00034894211066670 ◽

2022 ◽

pp. 000348942110666

Author(s):

Elysia Miriam Grose ◽

Emily YiQin Cheng ◽

Marc Levin ◽

Justine Philteos ◽

Jong Wook Lee ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Patient Education ◽

Grade Level ◽

Critical Role ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Online Information ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Flesch Reading Ease ◽

Ease Score ◽

Google Search ◽

Online Patient Education

Purpose: Complications related to parotidectomy can cause significant morbidity, and thus, the decision to pursue this surgery needs to be well-informed. Given that information available online plays a critical role in patient education, this study aimed to evaluate the readability and quality of online patient education materials (PEMs) regarding parotidectomy. Methods: A Google search was performed using the term “parotidectomy” and the first 10 pages of the search were analyzed. Quality and reliability of the online information was assessed using the DISCERN instrument. Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL) and Flesch-Reading Ease Score (FRE) were used to evaluate readability. Results: Thirty-five PEMs met the inclusion criteria. The average FRE score was 59.3 and 16 (46%) of the online PEMs had FRE scores below 60 indicating that they were fairly difficult to very difficult to read. The average grade level of the PEMs was above the eighth grade when evaluated with the FKGL. The average DISCERN score was 41.7, which is indicative of fair quality. There were no significant differences between PEMs originating from medical institutions and PEMs originating from other sources in terms of quality or readability. Conclusion: Online PEMs on parotidectomy may not be comprehensible to the average individual. This study highlights the need for the development of more appropriate PEMs to inform patients about parotidectomy.

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Evaluation of Quality and Readability of Health Information Websites Identified through India’s Major Search Engines

Advances in Preventive Medicine ◽

10.1155/2016/4815285 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 2016 ◽

pp. 1-6 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

S. Raj ◽

V. L. Sharma ◽

A. J. Singh ◽

S. Goel

Keyword(s):

Health Information ◽

Search Engines ◽

Grade Level ◽

Code Of Conduct ◽

Sixth Grade ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Flesch Reading Ease ◽

Ease Score ◽

The Mean

Background. The available health information on websites should be reliable and accurate in order to make informed decisions by community. This study was done to assess the quality and readability of health information websites on World Wide Web in India.Methods. This cross-sectional study was carried out in June 2014. The key words “Health” and “Information” were used on search engines “Google” and “Yahoo.” Out of 50 websites (25 from each search engines), after exclusion, 32 websites were evaluated. LIDA tool was used to assess the quality whereas the readability was assessed using Flesch Reading Ease Score (FRES), Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL), and SMOG.Results. Forty percent of websites (n=13) were sponsored by government. Health On the Net Code of Conduct (HONcode) certification was present on 50% (n=16) of websites. The mean LIDA score (74.31) was average. Only 3 websites scored high on LIDA score. Only five had readability scores at recommended sixth-grade level.Conclusion. Most health information websites had average quality especially in terms of usability and reliability and were written at high readability levels. Efforts are needed to develop the health information websites which can help general population in informed decision making.

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Online Tonsillectomy Resources: Are Parents Getting Consistent and Readable Recommendations?

Otolaryngology ◽

10.1177/0194599817692529 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 156 (5) ◽

pp. 844-852 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Lori Wozney ◽

Jill Chorney ◽

Anna Huguet ◽

Jin Soo Song ◽

Emily F. Boss ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Content Analysis ◽

Study Design ◽

English Language ◽

Psychosocial Support ◽

Perioperative Period ◽

Skills Training ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Frequency Effect ◽

Online Information ◽

Cross Sectional

Objective Parents frequently refer to information on the Internet to confirm or broaden their understanding of surgical procedures and to research postoperative care practices. Our study evaluated the readability, comprehensiveness, and consistency around online recommendations directed at parents of children undergoing tonsillectomy. Study Design A cross-sectional study design was employed. Setting Thirty English-language Internet websites. Subjects and Methods Three validated measures of readability were applied and content analysis was employed to evaluate the comprehensiveness of information in domains of perioperative education. Frequency effect sizes and percentile ranks were calculated to measure dispersion of recommendations across sites. Results The mean readability level of all sites was above a grade 10 level with fewer than half of the sites (n = 14, 47%) scoring at or below the eight-grade level. Provided information was often incomplete with a noted lack of psychosocial support and skills-training recommendations. Content analysis showed 67 unique recommendations spanning the full perioperative period. Most recommendations had low consensus, being reported in 5 or fewer sites (frequency effect size <16%). Conclusion Many online parent-focused resources do not meet readability recommendations, portray incomplete education about perioperative care and expectations, and provide recommendations with low levels of consensus. Up-to-date mapping of the research evidence around recommendations is needed as well as improved efforts to make online information easier to read.

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The quality of Internet information on lingual orthodontics in the English language, with DISCERN and JAMA

Journal of Orthodontics ◽

10.1177/1465312518824100 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 46 (1) ◽

pp. 20-26 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Hatice Kübra Olkun ◽

Arzu Arı Demirkaya ◽

Banu Aras

Keyword(s):

English Language ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Poor Quality ◽

Online Information ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Lingual Orthodontics ◽

Internet Information ◽

Lingual Braces ◽

Lingual Brackets

Objectives: This study investigated the quality of Internet information in the English language about lingual orthodontics. Design: A cross-sectional study Materials and Methods: An Internet search using the keywords ‘lingual orthodontics’, ‘lingual braces’, ‘lingual treatment’ and ‘lingual brackets’ was conducted on the four most popular search engines (Google, Yahoo, Bing and AOL) on 4 February 2017. The first 10 websites for each keyword and search engine were screened. After excluding duplicates and irrelevant websites, the remaining were assessed using the DISCERN tool and JAMA benchmarks. Results: Of the original 160 websites found, 132 were excluded (102 duplicates, 30 unrelated). The authors of the remaining 28 websites were orthodontists (39.2%), professional organisations (21%), unspecified (17.8%), dentists (7.1%), dental hygienists (7.1%) and patients (7.1%). The mean overall DISCERN score for the 28 websites was poor (36.3). Only 1/28 websites met all four principles of JAMA, four websites met three criteria, 10 websites met two criteria and 13 websites met one criterion. Conclusion: Online information on lingual orthodontics was of poor quality; moreover, unbiased and balanced information was rare. Orthodontists should be aware that the average quality of information on the Internet about lingual orthodontics might be inadequate and should direct patients to higher-quality websites.

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Quality of Internet information related to the Mediterranean diet

Public Health Nutrition ◽

10.1017/s1368980011002345 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 15 (5) ◽

pp. 885-893 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

Reiko Hirasawa ◽

Kazumi Saito ◽

Yoko Yachi ◽

Yoko Ibe ◽

Satoru Kodama ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mediterranean Diet ◽

Grade Level ◽

English Language ◽

Poor Quality ◽

Search Term ◽

Flesch Reading Ease ◽

Internet Information ◽

Ease Score ◽

The Mediterranean

AbstractObjectiveThe present study aimed to evaluate the quality of Internet information on the Mediterranean diet and to determine the relationship between the quality of information and the website source.DesignWebsite sources were categorized as institutional, pharmaceutical, non-pharmaceutical commercial, charitable, support and alternative medicine. Content quality was evaluated using the DISCERN rating instrument, the Health On the Net Foundation's (HON) code principles, andJournal of the American Medical Association(JAMA) benchmarks. Readability was graded by the Flesch Reading Ease score and Flesch–Kincaid Grade Level score.SettingThe phrase ‘Mediterranean diet’ was entered as a search term into the six most commonly used English-language search engines.SubjectsThe first thirty websites forthcoming by each engine were examined.ResultsOf the 180 websites identified, thirty-two met our inclusion criteria. Distribution of the website sources was: institutional,n8 (25 %); non-pharmaceutical commercial,n12 (38 %); and support,n12 (38 %). As evaluated by the DISCERN, thirty-one of the thirty-two websites were rated as fair to very poor. Non-pharmaceutical commercial sites scored significantly lower than institutional and support sites (P= 0·002). The mean Flesch Reading Ease score and mean Flesch–Kincaid Grade Level were 55·9 (fairly difficult) and 7·2, respectively. The Flesch–Kincaid Grade Level score determines the difficulty of material by measuring the length of words and sentences and converting the results into a grade level ranging from 0 to 12 (US grade level).ConclusionsDue to the poor quality of website information on the Mediterranean diet, patients or consumers who are interested in the Mediterranean diet should get advice from physicians or dietitians.

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Multidisciplinary team decision is rare and decreasing in percutaneous vascular interventions despite positive impact on in-hospital outcomes

VASA ◽

10.1024/0301-1526/a000771 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 48 (3) ◽

pp. 262-269 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Christian-Alexander Behrendt ◽

Tilo Kölbel ◽

Thea Schwaneberg ◽

Holger Diener ◽

Ralf Hohnhold ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Multidisciplinary Team ◽

Positive Impact ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Invasive Treatment ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Hospital Outcomes ◽

Vascular Intervention ◽

Medical Specialties ◽

Team Decision ◽

The Impact

Abstract. Background: Worldwide prevalence of peripheral artery disease (PAD) is increasing and peripheral vascular intervention (PVI) has become the primary invasive treatment. There is evidence that multidisciplinary team decision-making (MTD) has an impact on in-hospital outcomes. This study aims to depict practice patterns and time changes regarding MTD of different medical specialties. Methods: This is a retrospective cross-sectional study design. 20,748 invasive, percutaneous PVI of PAD conducted in the metropolitan area of Hamburg (Germany) were consecutively collected between January 2004 and December 2014. Results: MTD prior to PVI was associated with lower odds of early unsuccessful termination of the procedures (Odds Ratio 0.662, p < 0.001). The proportion of MTD decreased over the study period (30.9 % until 2009 vs. 16.6 % from 2010, p < 0.001) while rates of critical limb-threatening ischemia (34.5 % vs. 42.1 %), patients´ age (70 vs. 72 years), PVI below-the-knee (BTK) (13.2 % vs. 22.4 %), and rates of severe TASC C/D lesions BTK (43.2 % vs. 54.2 %) increased (all p < 0.001). Utilization of MTD was different between medical specialties with lowest frequency in procedures performed by internists when compared to other medical specialties (7.1 % vs. 25.7 %, p < 0.001). Conclusions: MTD prior to PVI is associated with technical success of the procedure. Nonetheless, rates of MTD prior to PVI are decreasing during the study period. Future studies should address the impact of multidisciplinary vascular teams on long-term outcomes.

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