Arthroscopy: The Journal of Arthroscopic & Related Surgery
Original ArticleAssessing the Readability of Online Information About Hip Arthroscopy
Section snippets
Search Terms and Website Categorization
In a study design similar to prior investigations,23, 24, 28, 29 advanced search tools were used to query the exact phrases “hip arthroscopy” and “hip scope” from 3 Internet search engines, Google, Yahoo!, and Bing, on March 25, 2017. The given search engines were included in our study as nearly 80% of searches in the United States are carried out using Google, with 95% of all remaining searches performed through Bing and Yahoo!35 Uniform resource locaters (URLs) from the first 3 pages of
Results
In total, 48 unique websites were assessed for readability, with physician-sponsored webpages comprising the majority (47.92%) followed by academic (35.42%), unspecified (8.33%), commercial (6.25%), and governmental and NPO (2.08%) pages. Among the indices measured, the mean FRE was 43.45 ± 11.38 (range 19.5-73.6), mean FKGL was 11.89 ± 2.17 (range 5.8-16.1), mean Gunning Fog Score was 15.25 ± 2.48 (range 8.7-20.7), mean SMOG Index was 11.23 ± 1.76 (range 6.5-14.7), mean CLI was 13.99 ± 1.56
Discussion
This investigation found that the readability of current online orthopaedic educational materials pertaining to hip arthroscopy is at an average grade level of 12.79, significantly higher than the sixth-grade reading level recommended by the AMA and NIH.13, 14, 15 Accessibility to and, thus, utility of online information about hip arthroscopy is dependent on resources being written for patients at an appropriately comprehensible reading level. Based on our study, full comprehension of material
Conclusions
The current readability of online information pertaining to hip arthroscopy is at an inappropriately high reading level compared with the sixth-grade level recommended by the AMA and NIH, thus introducing significant barriers to understanding for many patients. Online materials should be edited to reduce word and sentence length and complexity, use simpler terms, and minimize use of passive voice to facilitate patient knowledge acquisition and understanding of online information about hip
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Cited by (22)
Readability and Quality of Online Information on Sickle Cell Retinopathy for Patients
2024, American Journal of OphthalmologyReducing the Use of Complex Words and Reducing Sentence Length to <15 Words Improves Readability of Patient Education Materials Regarding Sports Medicine Knee Injuries
2023, Arthroscopy, Sports Medicine, and RehabilitationCitation Excerpt :An analysis of the readability of PEMs provided by the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine in 2018 found that all PEMs were written above the recommended sixth-grade reading level with 36% written above a twelfth-grade reading level.17 In addition, a 2018 investigation of PEMs for hip arthroscopy found an average reading level of grade 12.79, with no individual websites containing information below an eighth-grade reading level.1 Furthermore, a 2015 analysis of online foot and ankle PEMs produced by the AAOS, the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society, Medline Plus, and 11 academic centers found an average reading level of grade 10.1, with no organization or institution producing a reading level within the recommended range.2
Automated Text-Messaging After Hip Arthroscopy: A Randomized-Controlled Trial of “Post-Op Buddy”
2022, Arthroscopy - Journal of Arthroscopic and Related SurgeryOnline Resources for Rotator Cuff Repair: What are Patients Reading?
2019, Arthroscopy, Sports Medicine, and RehabilitationCitation Excerpt :However, there is concern about the quality of health information that patients encounter. Many studies29,34,35,41-43 have shown that the quality of online health information, particularly in orthopaedics, is substandard. This may negatively influence patients' expectations about their diagnosis and treatment plan and change the dynamic of the patient-physician relationship.16,17
Editorial Commentary: Smarter Than a Sixth Grader? Hip Arthroscopists, Check Your Training at the Door
2018, Arthroscopy - Journal of Arthroscopic and Related Surgery
See commentary on page 2150
The authors report the following potential conflicts of interest or sources of funding: J.R. is an educational consultant for Smith & Nephew. T.S.L. is a consultant for Smith & Nephew. Full ICMJE author disclosure forms are available for this article online, as supplementary material.