Assessing the Readability of Online English and Spanish Resources for Polydactyly and Syndactyly.
| Autor: | Shin A; From the McGovern Medical School at UTHealth, Houston, TX., Paidisetty PS; From the McGovern Medical School at UTHealth, Houston, TX., Chivukula S; John Sealy School of Medicine, The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX., Wang LK; John Sealy School of Medicine, The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX., Chen W |
|---|---|
| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Zdroj: | Annals of plastic surgery [Ann Plast Surg] 2024 Nov 01; Vol. 93 (5), pp. 546-550. |
| DOI: | 10.1097/SAP.0000000000004121 |
| Abstrakt: | Introduction: Online patient education materials (PEMs) that are difficult to read disproportionately affect patients with low health literacy and educational attainment. Patients may not be fully informed or empowered to engage meaningfully with providers and advocate for their goals. We aim to assess the readability of online PEMs regarding polydactyly and syndactyly. Methods: Google was used to query "polydactyly" and "syndactyly" in English and Spanish. The first 50 results were categorized into institutional (government, medical school, teaching hospital), noninstitutional (private practice, blog), and academic (journal articles, book chapters). Readability scores were generated using the Simple Measure of Gobbledygook and Spanish Simple Measure of Gobbledygook scales. Results: All polydactyly PEMs and >95% of syndactyly PEMs exceeded the National Institutes of Health recommended 6th-grade reading level. Altogether, English PEMs had an average reading level of a university freshman and Spanish PEMs had an average reading level of nearly a high school sophomore. For both diagnoses, English PEMs were harder to read than Spanish PEMs overall and when compared across the 3 categories between the 2 languages. Generally, noninstitutional PEMs were more difficult to read than their institutional counterparts. Conclusions: To improve patient education, health literacy, and language equity, online resources for polydactyly and syndactyly should be written at the 6th-grade level. Currently, these PEMs are too advanced, which can make accessing, understanding, and pursuing healthcare decisions more challenging. Understanding health conditions and information is crucial to empower patients, regardless of literacy. Competing Interests: Conflicts of interest and sources of funding: Dr Wendy Chen is a paid consultant for the Allergan AbbVie company. The authors report no proprietary or commercial interest in any product mentioned or concept discussed in this article. (Copyright © 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.) |
| Databáze: | MEDLINE |
| Externí odkaz: |
|