Nikhil Sharma1, Andreas Tridimas2, Paul R Fitzsimmons2. 1. Department of Gerontology, Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen Hospitals NHS Trust, Liverpool, Merseyside, UK. Electronic address: nikhilsharma22000@yahoo.co.uk. 2. Department of Gerontology, Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen Hospitals NHS Trust, Liverpool, Merseyside, UK.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Patients and carers increasingly access the Internet as a source of health information. Poor health literacy is extremely common and frequently limits patient's comprehension of health care information literature. We aimed to assess the readability of online consumer-orientated stroke information using 2 validated readability measures. METHODS: The 100 highest Google ranked consumer-oriented stroke Web pages were assessed for reading difficulty using the Flesch-Kincaid and Simple Measure of Gobbledygook (SMOG) formulae. RESULTS: None of the included Web pages complied with the current readability guidelines when readability was measured using the gold standard SMOG formula. Mean Flesch-Kincaid grade level was 10.4 (95% confidence interval [CI] 9.97-10.9) and mean SMOG grade 12.1 (95% CI 11.7-12.4). Over half of the Web pages were produced at graduate reading levels or above. Not-for-profit Web pages were significantly easier to read (P=.0006). The Flesch-Kincaid formula significantly underestimated reading difficulty, with a mean underestimation of 1.65 grades (95% CI 1.49-1.81), P<.0001. CONCLUSIONS: Most consumer-orientated stroke information Web sites require major text revision to comply with readability guidelines and to be comprehensible to the average patient. The Flesch-Kincaid formula significantly underestimates reading difficulty, and SMOG should be used as the measure of choice.
BACKGROUND:Patients and carers increasingly access the Internet as a source of health information. Poor health literacy is extremely common and frequently limits patient's comprehension of health care information literature. We aimed to assess the readability of online consumer-orientated stroke information using 2 validated readability measures. METHODS: The 100 highest Google ranked consumer-oriented stroke Web pages were assessed for reading difficulty using the Flesch-Kincaid and Simple Measure of Gobbledygook (SMOG) formulae. RESULTS: None of the included Web pages complied with the current readability guidelines when readability was measured using the gold standard SMOG formula. Mean Flesch-Kincaid grade level was 10.4 (95% confidence interval [CI] 9.97-10.9) and mean SMOG grade 12.1 (95% CI 11.7-12.4). Over half of the Web pages were produced at graduate reading levels or above. Not-for-profit Web pages were significantly easier to read (P=.0006). The Flesch-Kincaid formula significantly underestimated reading difficulty, with a mean underestimation of 1.65 grades (95% CI 1.49-1.81), P<.0001. CONCLUSIONS: Most consumer-orientated stroke information Web sites require major text revision to comply with readability guidelines and to be comprehensible to the average patient. The Flesch-Kincaid formula significantly underestimates reading difficulty, and SMOG should be used as the measure of choice.
Authors: Brigid Clancy; Billie Bonevski; Coralie English; Amanda L Baker; Alyna Turner; Parker Magin; Michael Pollack; Robin Callister; Ashleigh Guillaumier Journal: J Med Internet Res Date: 2022-05-30 Impact factor: 7.076
Authors: Abdelaziz Elnaggar; Van Ta Park; Sei J Lee; Melinda Bender; Lee Anne Siegmund; Linda G Park Journal: J Med Internet Res Date: 2020-04-24 Impact factor: 5.428