Abstract
To assess the readability and quality of online materials for Zenker’s diverticulum. A Google search of “Zenker’s diverticulum” was performed and the first 50 websites were reviewed. Readability was measured by Flesch Reading Ease (FRES), Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL) and the Simple Measure of Gobbledygook (SMOG) scores using an online calculator. Understandability and actionability were assessed with the Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool for Printed Materials (PEMAT-P). Websites were categorized as either patient-targeted or physician-targeted and unpaired t tests were used to compare scores between these two groups. A total of 31 websites (23 patient-oriented sites and 8 physician-oriented sites) were analyzed. The average FRES, FKGL, and SMOG scores were 29.96 ± 14.72, 13.75 ± 2.78, and 12.19 ± 2.02, respectively, for the entire cohort. Readability scores for the patient-oriented sites were better than the physician-oriented sites for each measure (FRES 36.21 ± 8.86 vs 11.96 ± 13.54, FKGL 12.68 ± 1.58 vs 16.85 ± 3.25, and SMOG 11.37 ± 1.26 vs 14.53 ± 1.98; p < 0.001 for all comparisons). PEMAT-P understandability and actionability scores for the entire cohort were 68.20% ± 10.19% and 10.75% ± 16.52% respectively, and did not differ between patient-oriented and physician oriented sites. Though patient-oriented sites had better readability than physician-oriented sites for Zenker’s Diverticulum, both categories had readability levels more advanced than what is recommended for medical education materials.
Similar content being viewed by others
References:
Weiss B. Health literacy: a manual for clinicians. Chic Am Med Assoc Found Am Med Assoc 2007.
Gaines T, Malik RD. Readability of pelvic floor dysfunction questionnaires. Neurourol Urodyn. 2020;39:813–8.
Alwani MM, Campiti VJ, Bandali EH, Nesemeier BR, Ting JY, Shipchandler TZ. Evaluation of the quality of printed online education materials in cosmetic facial plastic surgery. Facial Plast Surg Aesthetic Med. 2020;22:255–61.
Arslan D, Sami Tutar M, Kozanhan B, Bagci Z. The quality, understandability, readability, and popularity of online educational materials for heart murmur. Cardiol Young. 2020;30:328–36.
Wong K, Levi JR. Readability trends of online information by the american academy of otolaryngology-head and neck surgery foundation. Otolaryngol-Head Neck Surg Off J Am Acad Otolaryngol-Head Neck Surg. 2017;156:96–102.
O’Connell Ferster AP, Hu A. Evaluating the quality and readability of Internet information sources regarding the treatment of swallowing disorders. Ear Nose Throat J. 2017;96:128–38.
Yi GS, Hu A. Quality and readability of online information on in-office vocal fold injections. Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol. 2020;129:294–300.
Schwarzbach HL, Mady LJ, Kaffenberger TM, Duvvuri U, Jabbour N. Quality and readability assessment of websites on human papillomavirus and oropharyngeal cancer. Laryngoscope. 2021;131:87–94.
Bizzotto A, Iacopini F, Landi R, Costamagna G. Zenker’s diverticulum: exploring treatment options. Acta Otorhinolaryngol Ital Organo Uff Della Soc Ital Otorinolaringol E Chir Cerv-facc. 2013;33:219–29.
Davies D. “The 7 Most Popular Search Engines in the World - SEO 101.” [Internet]. Search Engine Journal; 2018 [cited 2021 Jan 20]. Available from: https://www.searchenginejournal.com/seo-101/meet-search-engines/.
Alwani MM, Campa KA, Svenstrup TJ, Bandali EH, Anthony BP. An Appraisal of Printed Online Education Materials on Spasmodic Dysphonia. J Voice [Internet]. 2019 [cited 2020 Dec 31]; Available from: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0892199719304497.
Ting K, Hu A. Evaluating the quality and readability of thyroplasty information on the Internet. J Voice Off J Voice Found. 2014;28:378–81.
Balakrishnan V, Chandy Z, Hseih A, Bui T-L, Verma SP. Readability and understandability of online vocal cord paralysis materials. Otolaryngol-Head Neck Surg Off J Am Acad Otolaryngol-Head Neck Surg. 2016;154:460–4.
Eysenbach G, Powell J, Kuss O, Sa E-R. Empirical studies assessing the quality of health information for consumers on the world wide web: a systematic review. JAMA. 2002;287:2691–700.
Readability Formulas [Internet]. Available from: https://readabilityformulas.com/flesch-grade-level-readability-formula.php.
Flesch-Kincaid Readability tests [Internet]. Wikipedia. Available from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flesch%E2%80%93Kincaid_readability_tests.
Shoemaker SJ, Wolf MS, Brach C. Development of the Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool (PEMAT): a new measure of understandability and actionability for print and audiovisual patient information. Patient Educ Couns. 2014;96:395–403.
Health on the Net [Internet]. Available from: https://www.hon.ch/en/.
Fox S, Duggan M. Health Online 2013 [Internet]. Pew Research Center; [cited 2021 Jan 20]. Available from: https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2013/01/15/health-online-2013/.
Steehler KR, Steehler MK, Pierce ML, Harley EH. Social media’s role in otolaryngology-head and neck surgery: informing clinicians, empowering patients. Otolaryngol-Head Neck Surg Off J Am Acad Otolaryngol-Head Neck Surg. 2013;149:521–4.
Wong K, Gilad A, Cohen MB, Kirke DN, Jalisi SM. Patient education materials assessment tool for laryngectomy health information. Head Neck. 2017;39:2256–63.
Powell LE, Andersen ES, Pozez AL. Assessing readability of patient education materials on breast reconstruction by major US academic hospitals as compared with nonacademic sites. Ann Plast Surg. 2020;86:610–4.
Sharma AN, Martin B, Shive M, Zachary CB. The readability of online patient information about laser resurfacing therapy. Dermatol Online J. 2020. https://doi.org/10.5070/D3264048343.
Weiss KD, Vargas CR, Ho OA, Chuang DJ, Weiss J, Lee BT. Readability analysis of online resources related to lung cancer. J Surg Res. 2016;206:90–7.
Siddiqui E, Shah AM, Sambol J, Waller AH. Readability assessment of online patient education materials on atrial fibrillation. Cureus. 2020;12:e10397.
Chen LW, Harris VC, Jia JL, Xie DX, Tufano RP, Russell JO. Search trends and quality of online resources regarding thyroidectomy. Otolaryngol-Head Neck Surg Off J Am Acad Otolaryngol-Head Neck Surg. 2020;165:50–8.
Barbarite E, Shaye D, Oyer S, Lee LN. Quality assessment of online patient information for cosmetic botulinum toxin. Aesthet Surg J. 2020;40:NP636–42.
Lee SE, Brown WC, Gelpi MW, Kimple AJ, Senior BA, Zanation AM, et al. Understood? Evaluating the readability and understandability of intranasal corticosteroid delivery instructions. Int Forum Allergy Rhinol. 2020;10:773–8.
Funding
The authors did not receive any financial support for this study.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
The authors have no conflicts of interest.
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Shneyderman, M., Davis, R., Snow, G. et al. Zenker’s Diverticulum: Readability and Quality of Online Written Education Materials. Dysphagia 37, 1461–1467 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00455-022-10406-8
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00455-022-10406-8