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Quantitative analysis of the level of readability of online emergency radiology-based patient education resources

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Abstract

Purpose

The vast amount of information found on the internet, combined with its accessibility, makes it a widely utilized resource for Americans to find information pertaining to medical information. The field of radiology is no exception. In this paper, we assess the readability level of websites pertaining specifically to emergency radiology.

Methods

Using Google, 23 terms were searched, and the top 10 results were recorded. Each link was evaluated for its readability level using a set of ten reputable readability scales. The search terms included the following: abdominal ultrasound, abdominal aortic aneurysm, aortic dissection, appendicitis, cord compression, CT abdomen, cholecystitis, CT chest, diverticulitis, ectopic pregnancy, epidural hematoma, dural venous thrombosis, head CT, MRI brain, MR angiography, MRI spine, ovarian torsion, pancreatitis, pelvic ultrasound, pneumoperitoneum, pulmonary embolism, subarachnoid hemorrhage, and subdural hematoma. Any content that was not written for patients was excluded.

Results

The 230 articles that were assessed were written, on average, at a 12.1 grade level. Only 2 of the 230 articles (1%) were written at the third to seventh grade recommended reading level set forth by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and American Medical Association (AMA). Fifty-two percent of the 230 articles were written so as to require a minimum of a high school education (at least a 12th grade level). Additionally, 17 of the 230 articles (7.3%) were written at a level that exceeded an undergraduate education (at least a 16th grade level).

Conclusions

The majority of websites with emergency radiology-related patient education materials are not adhering to the NIH and AMA’s recommended reading levels, and it is likely that the average reader is not benefiting fully from these information outlets. With the link between health literacy and poor health outcomes, it is important to address the online content in this area of radiology, allowing for patient to more fully benefit from their online searches.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiology, Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals, 132 South 10th Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19107, USA

    David R. Hansberry, Mougnyan Cox & Sandeep Deshmukh

  2. Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA

    Michael D’Angelo, Michael D. White & Nitin Agarwal

  3. Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Pittsburgh Hillman Cancer Institute, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA

    Arpan V. Prabhu

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  1. David R. Hansberry
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Correspondence to David R. Hansberry.

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Hansberry, D.R., D’Angelo, M., White, M.D. et al. Quantitative analysis of the level of readability of online emergency radiology-based patient education resources. Emerg Radiol 25, 147–152 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10140-017-1566-7

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