Quality and readability of English-language Internet information for vestibular disorders.
Vestibular disorders
health information
quality
health information readability
internet health information
Journal
Journal of vestibular research : equilibrium & orientation
ISSN: 1878-6464
Titre abrégé: J Vestib Res
Pays: Netherlands
ID NLM: 9104163
Informations de publication
Date de publication:
2020
2020
Historique:
pubmed:
26
4
2020
medline:
30
6
2021
entrez:
26
4
2020
Statut:
ppublish
Résumé
The Internet has become a powerful, accessible resource for many patients to use for their own medical management and knowledge. Vestibular disorders are prevalent, especially in the elderly. As the Internet is increasingly a major source of health-related information to the general public, it is often used to search for information regarding dizziness and vertigo. Ensuring that the information is accessible, unbiased, and appropriate can aid informed decision-making. To evaluate the quality and readability of English-language Internet information related to vestibular disorders. A cross-sectional website search using three keywords (nausea, dizziness, and vertigo) in five country-specific versions of the most commonly used Internet search engine was conducted in March 2018. The language was limited to English for all websites. Quality was assessed by presence of Health on the Net (HON) certification and DISCERN scores. Readability was assessed using the Flesch Reading Ease (FRE) score, Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level Formula (F-KGL), and Simple Measure of Gobbledygook (SMOG). In total, 112 websites were included and analyzed. The majority were commercial (61%) websites. A total of 42% had obtained HON certification. No association was found between the presence of HON certification and the resource of the website. The DISCERN scores had a mean of 2.52 (SD 1.1). Readability measures indicated that an average of 14-18 years of education was required to read and understand the Internet information provided regarding vestibular disorders. To ensure the accessible to the general population, it is necessary to improve the quality and readability of Internet-based information regarding vestibular disorders.
Sections du résumé
BACKGROUND
The Internet has become a powerful, accessible resource for many patients to use for their own medical management and knowledge. Vestibular disorders are prevalent, especially in the elderly. As the Internet is increasingly a major source of health-related information to the general public, it is often used to search for information regarding dizziness and vertigo. Ensuring that the information is accessible, unbiased, and appropriate can aid informed decision-making.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the quality and readability of English-language Internet information related to vestibular disorders.
METHODS
A cross-sectional website search using three keywords (nausea, dizziness, and vertigo) in five country-specific versions of the most commonly used Internet search engine was conducted in March 2018. The language was limited to English for all websites. Quality was assessed by presence of Health on the Net (HON) certification and DISCERN scores. Readability was assessed using the Flesch Reading Ease (FRE) score, Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level Formula (F-KGL), and Simple Measure of Gobbledygook (SMOG).
RESULTS
In total, 112 websites were included and analyzed. The majority were commercial (61%) websites. A total of 42% had obtained HON certification. No association was found between the presence of HON certification and the resource of the website. The DISCERN scores had a mean of 2.52 (SD 1.1). Readability measures indicated that an average of 14-18 years of education was required to read and understand the Internet information provided regarding vestibular disorders.
CONCLUSIONS
To ensure the accessible to the general population, it is necessary to improve the quality and readability of Internet-based information regarding vestibular disorders.
Identifiants
pubmed: 32333571
pii: VES200698
doi: 10.3233/VES-200698
pmc: PMC9249283
doi:
Types de publication
Evaluation Study
Journal Article
Langues
eng
Sous-ensembles de citation
IM
Pagination
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