BACKGROUND: The internet plays an important role in the dissemination of health information to the general public. Information on orthopaedic sports medicine websites has been shown to be of a varying standard, and to date there has been no evaluation of the overall quality of concussion-related websites. METHODS: A four-stage methodological sampling technique was used to identify concussion-related websites. Websites were assessed for the presence of a quality standard (the HONcode), their adherence to current expert concussion knowledge using a custom-developed concussion checklist ('CONcheck'), and their readability using the established Flesch Reading Ease (FRE) and Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL). RESULTS: 43 Websites were identified from the search strategy with the majority (70%) not HONcode certified. A wide distribution of scores was seen for the CONcheck (0-22), FRE (16.3-77.4) and FKGL (6-17.8). Statistical analysis using independent t tests between websites with the HONcode and websites without the HONcode showed no significant differences between the two groups for CONcheck (t(41)=0.571, p=0.571), FRE (t(41)=0.808, p=0.424) and FKGL(t(41)=-0.964, p=0.341) scores. CONCLUSIONS: The variability in the standard of concussion-related websites highlights the need for sports medicine website providers to consider the delivery, content and readability of information to the public.
BACKGROUND: The internet plays an important role in the dissemination of health information to the general public. Information on orthopaedic sports medicine websites has been shown to be of a varying standard, and to date there has been no evaluation of the overall quality of concussion-related websites. METHODS: A four-stage methodological sampling technique was used to identify concussion-related websites. Websites were assessed for the presence of a quality standard (the HONcode), their adherence to current expert concussion knowledge using a custom-developed concussion checklist ('CONcheck'), and their readability using the established Flesch Reading Ease (FRE) and Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL). RESULTS: 43 Websites were identified from the search strategy with the majority (70%) not HONcode certified. A wide distribution of scores was seen for the CONcheck (0-22), FRE (16.3-77.4) and FKGL (6-17.8). Statistical analysis using independent t tests between websites with the HONcode and websites without the HONcode showed no significant differences between the two groups for CONcheck (t(41)=0.571, p=0.571), FRE (t(41)=0.808, p=0.424) and FKGL(t(41)=-0.964, p=0.341) scores. CONCLUSIONS: The variability in the standard of concussion-related websites highlights the need for sports medicine website providers to consider the delivery, content and readability of information to the public.
Authors: Daniel José Correa; Lindsey Milano; Churl-Su Kwon; Nathalie Jetté; Dennis Dlugos; Lauren Harte-Hargrove; Mary Jo Pugh; Jessica K Smith; Solomon L Moshé Journal: Epilepsia Date: 2020-02-24 Impact factor: 5.864
Authors: Wendy Hopmans; Naomi E Verstegen; Cornelis J A Haasbeek; Olga C Damman; Ben J Slotman; Danielle R M Timmermans; Suresh Senan Journal: J Radiosurg SBRT Date: 2012