scholarly journals Evaluation of the Quality, Accuracy, and Readability of Online Patient Resources for the Management of Articular Cartilage Defects

Cartilage ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 112-118 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dean Wang ◽  
Rohit G. Jayakar ◽  
Natalie L. Leong ◽  
Michael P. Leathers ◽  
Riley J. Williams ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Articular Cartilage ◽  
Patient Education ◽  
Cartilage Defect ◽  
Grade Level ◽  
Cartilage Defects ◽  
Search Term ◽  
Patient Education Material ◽  
Education Material ◽  
Patient Resources ◽  
Articular Cartilage Defects

Objective Patients commonly use the Internet to obtain their health-related information. The purpose of this study was to investigate the quality, accuracy, and readability of online patient resources for the management of articular cartilage defects. Design Three search terms (“cartilage defect,” “cartilage damage,” “cartilage injury”) were entered into 3 Internet search engines (Google, Bing, Yahoo). The first 25 websites from each search were collected and reviewed. The quality and accuracy of online information were independently evaluated by 3 reviewers using predetermined scoring criteria. The readability was evaluated using the Flesch-Kincaid (FK) grade score. Results Fifty-three unique websites were evaluated. Quality ratings were significantly higher in websites with a FK score >11 compared to those with a score of ≤11 ( P = 0.021). Only 10 websites (19%) differentiated between focal cartilage defects and diffuse osteoarthritis. Of these, 7 (70%) were elicited using the search term “cartilage defect” ( P = 0.038). The average accuracy of the websites was high (11.7 out of maximum 12), and the average FK grade level (13.4) was several grades higher than the recommended level for readable patient education material (eighth grade level). Conclusions The quality and readability of online patient resources for articular cartilage defects favor those with a higher level of education. Additionally, the majority of these websites do not distinguish between focal chondral defects and diffuse osteoarthritis, which can fail to provide appropriate patient education and guidance for available treatment. Clinicians should help guide patients toward high-quality, accurate, and readable online patient education material.

Health Literacy: Readability of ACC/AHA Online Patient Education Material

Cardiology ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 138 (1) ◽  
pp. 36-40 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karan Kapoor ◽  
Praveen George ◽  
Matthew C. Evans ◽  
Weldon J. Miller ◽  
Stanley S. Liu
Keyword(s):  
Patient Education ◽  
Grade Level ◽  
Heart Association ◽  
Reading Level ◽  
Patient Education Material ◽  
Education Material ◽  
Reading Grade Level ◽  
8Th Grade ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Online Patient Education

Objectives: To determine whether the online patient education material offered by the American College of Cardiology (ACC) and the American Heart Association (AHA) is written at a higher level than the 6th-7th grade level recommended by the National Institute of Health (NIH). Methods: Online patient education material from each website was subjected to reading grade level (RGL) analysis using the Readability Studio Professional Edition. One-sample t testing was used to compare the mean RGLs obtained from 8 formulas to the NIH-recommended 6.5 grade level and 8th grade national mean. Results: In total, 372 articles from the ACC website and 82 from the AHA were studied. Mean (±SD) RGLs for the 454 articles were 9.6 ± 2.1, 11.2 ± 2.1, 11.9 ± 1.6, 10.8 ± 1.6, 9.7 ± 2.1, 10.8 ± 0.8, 10.5 ± 2.6, and 11.7 ± 3.5 according to the Flesch-Kincaid grade level (FKGL), Simple Measure of Gobbledygook (SMOG Index), Coleman-Liau Index (CLI), Gunning-Fog Index (GFI), New Dale-Chall reading level formula (NDC), FORCAST, Raygor Readability Estimate (RRE), and Fry Graph (Fry), respectively. All analyzed articles had significantly higher RGLs than both the NIH-recommended grade level of 6.5 and the national mean grade level of 8 (p < 0.00625). Conclusions: Patient education material provided on the ACC and AHA websites is written above the NIH-recommended 6.5 grade level and 8th grade national mean reading level. Additional studies are required to demonstrate whether lowering the RGL of this material improves outcomes among patients with cardiovascular disease.

scholarly journals Comparative Readability Analysis of Online Patient Education Resources on Inflammatory Bowel Diseases

2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rishabh Gulati ◽  
Mohammad Nawaz ◽  
Linh Lam ◽  
Nikolaos T. Pyrsopoulos
Keyword(s):  
Ulcerative Colitis ◽  
Crohn’S Disease ◽  
Patient Education ◽  
Crohn's Disease ◽  
Grade Level ◽  
Patient Education Material ◽  
Education Resources ◽  
Education Material ◽  
Inflammatory Bowel ◽  
Online Patient Education

Background. The National Institutes of Health recommend a readability grade level of less than 7th grade for patient directed information. In this study, we use validated readability metrics to analyze patient information from prominent websites pertaining to ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease.Methods. The terms “Crohn’s Disease,” “Ulcerative Colitis,” and “Inflammatory Bowel Disease” were queried on Google and Bing. Websites containing patient education material were saved as a text file and then modified through expungement of medical terminology that was described within the text. Modified text was then divided into subsections that were analyzed using six validated readability scales.Results. None of the websites analyzed in this study achieved an estimated reading grade level below the recommended 7th grade. The median readability grade level (after modification) was 11.5 grade levels for both Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. The treatment subsection required the highest level of education with a median readability grade of 12th grade (range of 6.9 to 17).Conclusion. Readability of online patient education material from the analyzed popular websites far exceeds the recommended level of being less than 7th grade. Patient education resources should be revised to achieve wider health literacy.

Osteosarcoma Health Literacy: A Quantitative Assessment of the Understandability and Readability of Web-based Patient Education Material (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Trevor Gulbrandsen ◽  
Mary Kate Skalitzky ◽  
Alan Gregory Shamrock ◽  
Burke Gao ◽  
Obada Hasan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Patient Education ◽  
Grade Level ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
Reading Level ◽  
Online Resources ◽  
Search Term ◽  
Education Material ◽  
American Adult ◽  
The Mean

BACKGROUND Patients often turn to online resources following the diagnosis of osteosarcoma. To be fully understood by the average American adult, the American Medical Association (AMA) and National Institutes of Health (NIH) recommend online health information to be written at a 6th grade level or lower. Previous analyses of osteosarcoma resources have not measured whether text is written such that readers can process key information (understandability) or identify available actions to take (actionability). The Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool (PEMAT) is a validated measurement of understandability and actionability. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to evaluate osteosarcoma online resources utilizing measures of readability, understandability, and actionability. METHODS Using the search term “osteosarcoma”, two independent searches (Google.com) were performed and the top 50 results were collected. Websites were included if directed at providing patient education on osteosarcoma. Readability was quantified using validated algorithms: Flesh-Kincaid Grade Ease (FKGE), Flesch-Kincaid Grade-Level (FKGL). A higher FKGE score represents the material is easier to read. All other readability scores represent the US school grade level. Two independent PEMAT assessments were performed with independent scores assigned for both understandability and actionability. A PEMAT score of 70% or below is considered poorly understandable and/or poorly actionable. Statistical significance was defined as p≤0.05. RESULTS Of 53 unique websites, 37 websites (69.8%) met inclusion criteria. The mean FKGE was 40.8±13.6. The mean FKGL grade level was 12.0±2.4. No (0%) websites scored within the acceptable NIH/AHA recommended reading level. Overall, only 10.8% (n=4) and 2.7% (n=1) met the acceptable understandability and actionability threshold. CONCLUSIONS Overall, osteosarcoma online patient educational materials scored poorly with respect to readability, understandability, and actionability. None of the online resources scored at the recommended reading level. Only four met the appropriate score to considered understandable by the general public. Future efforts should be made to improve online resources in order to support patient understanding.

scholarly journals A composite scaffold of Wharton’s jelly and chondroitin sulphate loaded with human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells repairs articular cartilage defects in rat knee

2021 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhong Li ◽  
Yikang Bi ◽  
Qi Wu ◽  
Chao Chen ◽  
Lu Zhou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stem Cells ◽  
Articular Cartilage ◽  
Composite Scaffold ◽  
Biomechanical Properties ◽  
Cartilage Defects ◽  
Human Umbilical Cord ◽  
Composite Scaffolds ◽  
Articular Cartilage Defects

AbstractTo evaluate the performance of a composite scaffold of Wharton’s jelly (WJ) and chondroitin sulfate (CS) and the effect of the composite scaffold loaded with human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (hUCMSCs) in repairing articular cartilage defects, two experiments were carried out. The in vitro experiments involved identification of the hUCMSCs, construction of the biomimetic composite scaffolds by the physical and chemical crosslinking of WJ and CS, and testing of the biomechanical properties of both the composite scaffold and the WJ scaffold. In the in vivo experiments, composite scaffolds loaded with hUCMSCs and WJ scaffolds loaded with hUCMSCs were applied to repair articular cartilage defects in the rat knee. Moreover, their repair effects were evaluated by the unaided eye, histological observations, and the immunogenicity of scaffolds and hUCMSCs. We found that in vitro, the Young’s modulus of the composite scaffold (WJ-CS) was higher than that of the WJ scaffold. In vivo, the composite scaffold loaded with hUCMSCs repaired rat cartilage defects better than did the WJ scaffold loaded with hUCMSCs. Both the scaffold and hUCMSCs showed low immunogenicity. These results demonstrate that the in vitro construction of a human-derived WJ-CS composite scaffold enhances the biomechanical properties of WJ and that the repair of knee cartilage defects in rats is better with the composite scaffold than with the single WJ scaffold if the scaffold is loaded with hUCMSCs.

Combined Effects of Bone Marrow-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells and PLGA-PEG-PLGA Scaffolds on Repair of Articular Cartilage Defect

2013 ◽  
Vol 815 ◽  
pp. 345-349 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ching Wen Hsu ◽  
Ping Liu ◽  
Song Song Zhu ◽  
Feng Deng ◽  
Bi Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Stem Cells ◽  
Mesenchymal Stem Cells ◽  
Articular Cartilage ◽  
Growth Factor ◽  
Cartilage Defect ◽  
Cartilage Regeneration ◽  
Tissue Growth ◽  
Cartilage Defects

Here we reported a combined technique for articular cartilage repair, consisting of bone arrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMMSCs) and poly (dl-lactide-co-glycolide-b-ethylene glycol-b-dl-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA-PEG-PLGA) triblock copolymers carried with tissue growth factor (TGF-belat1). In the present study, BMMSCs seeded on PLGA-PEG-PLGA with were incubated in vitro, carried or not TGF-belta1, Then the effects of the composite on repair of cartilage defect were evaluated in rabbit knee joints in vivo. Full-thickness cartilage defects (diameter: 5 mm; depth: 3 mm) in the patellar groove were either left empty (n=18), implanted with BMMSCs/PLGA (n=18), TGF-belta1 modified BMMSCs/PLGA-PEG-PLGA. The defect area was examined grossly, histologically at 6, 24 weeks postoperatively. After implantation, the BMMSCs /PLGA-PEG-PLGA with TGF-belta1 group showed successful hyaline-like cartilage regeneration similar to normal cartilage, which was superior to the other groups using gross examination, qualitative and quantitative histology. These findings suggested that a combination of BMMSCs/PLGA-PEG-PLGA carried with tissue growth factor (TGF-belat1) may be an alternative treatment for large osteochondral defects in high loading sites.

Comparative Study of the Reconstruction of Articular Cartilage Defects with Free Costal Perichondrial Grafts and Free Tibial Periosteal Grafts: An Experimental Study on Rabbits

1999 ◽  
Vol 65 (5) ◽  
pp. 402-407 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Carranza-Bencano ◽  
M. Perez-Tinao ◽  
P. Ballesteros-Vazquez ◽  
J. R. Armas-Padron ◽  
A. Hevia-Alonso ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Study ◽  
Articular Cartilage ◽  
Comparative Study ◽  
Cartilage Defects ◽  
Articular Cartilage Defects
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