TY - JOUR
T1 - Readability and Quality of Online Information on Sickle Cell Retinopathy for Patients
AU - Gbedemah, Zulfiya Emefa Edugle
AU - Fuseini, Mohammed Sherrif Napari
AU - Fordjuor, Sam Kwaku Esson Jonah
AU - Baisie-Nkrumah, Eugene Jojo
AU - Beecham, Rya Marie Esi Mensima
AU - Amissah-Arthur, Kwesi Nyan
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 Elsevier Inc.
PY - 2024/3
Y1 - 2024/3
N2 - PURPOSE: This study aims to evaluate the readability and quality of Internet-based health information on sickle cell retinopathy. DESIGN: Retrospective cross-sectional website analysis. METHODS: To simulate a patient's online search, the terms “sickle cell retinopathy” and “sickle cell disease in the eye” were entered into the top 3 search engines (Google, Bing and Yahoo). The first 20 results of each search were retrieved and screened for analysis. The DISCERN questionnaire, the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) standards, and the Health on the Net (HON) criteria were used to evaluate the quality of the information. The Flesch–Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL), the Flesch Reading Ease (FRES), and the Automated Readability Index (ARI) were used to assess the readability of each website. RESULTS: Of 16 online sources, 12 (75%) scored moderately on the DISCERN tool. The mean DISCERN score was 40.91 (SD, 10.39; maximum possible, 80). None of the sites met all of the JAMA benchmarks, and only 3 (18.75%) of the websites had HONcode certification. All of the websites had scores above the target American Medical Association grade level of 6 on both the FKGL and ARI. The mean FRES was 57.76 (±4.61), below the recommended FRES of 80 to 90. CONCLUSION: There is limited online information available on sickle cell retinopathy. Most included websites were fairly difficult to read and of substandard quality. The quality and readability of Internet-based, patient-focused information on sickle cell retinopathy needs to be improved.
AB - PURPOSE: This study aims to evaluate the readability and quality of Internet-based health information on sickle cell retinopathy. DESIGN: Retrospective cross-sectional website analysis. METHODS: To simulate a patient's online search, the terms “sickle cell retinopathy” and “sickle cell disease in the eye” were entered into the top 3 search engines (Google, Bing and Yahoo). The first 20 results of each search were retrieved and screened for analysis. The DISCERN questionnaire, the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) standards, and the Health on the Net (HON) criteria were used to evaluate the quality of the information. The Flesch–Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL), the Flesch Reading Ease (FRES), and the Automated Readability Index (ARI) were used to assess the readability of each website. RESULTS: Of 16 online sources, 12 (75%) scored moderately on the DISCERN tool. The mean DISCERN score was 40.91 (SD, 10.39; maximum possible, 80). None of the sites met all of the JAMA benchmarks, and only 3 (18.75%) of the websites had HONcode certification. All of the websites had scores above the target American Medical Association grade level of 6 on both the FKGL and ARI. The mean FRES was 57.76 (±4.61), below the recommended FRES of 80 to 90. CONCLUSION: There is limited online information available on sickle cell retinopathy. Most included websites were fairly difficult to read and of substandard quality. The quality and readability of Internet-based, patient-focused information on sickle cell retinopathy needs to be improved.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85180473458&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.ajo.2023.10.023
DO - 10.1016/j.ajo.2023.10.023
M3 - Article
C2 - 37918780
AN - SCOPUS:85180473458
SN - 0002-9394
VL - 259
SP - 45
EP - 52
JO - American Journal of Ophthalmology
JF - American Journal of Ophthalmology
ER -