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Assessment of Online Resources for Returning to School During and After Treatment of Childhood Cancer

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Abstract

To evaluate current online parent education resources for children returning to school after a cancer diagnosis. Online search was conducted using 3 search engines and terms recommended by affected families. Sites were evaluated by 3 reviewers for understandability and actionability (scored 0–100%) using the Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool (PEMAT). Readability was assessed using Flesch-Kincaid (grade K-12) and content comprehensiveness by a clinical expert review for 5 late effect domains (scored 0–100%). A total of 56 unique online resources were evaluated. Mean understandability and actionability scores were 54% (range 17–83) and 36% (range 0–83) respectively. The mean Flesch-Kincaid grade level was 10th grade (mode 12th). Comprehensiveness of domain coverage was 34% (mode 20%). Some high-quality materials for this topic are available, but generally low scores on the PEMAT scales and high reading level estimates on Flesch-Kincaid indicate parents may have difficulty understanding and using the information. The low scores for comprehensiveness of information indicate parents will likely need to access multiple sources for complete information. A table provides the names, website (URL), and scoring for the 24 top-rated sites and can be used to make recommendations to parents with improved confidence in quality.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Bloomberg Children’s Center, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins Hospital, 1800 Orleans St., Baltimore, MD, 21234, USA

    Kathy Jeanne Ruble, Stacy Lorine Cooper & Lisa Anne Jacobson

  2. School of Education, Johns Hopkins University, 2800 N Charles St., Baltimore, MD, USA

    Elizabeth Juliana Paré-Blagoev

  3. Kennedy Krieger Institute, 1750 E Fairmount Ave, Baltimore, MD, 21231, USA

    Lisa Anne Jacobson

Authors
  1. Kathy Jeanne Ruble
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  2. Elizabeth Juliana Paré-Blagoev
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  3. Stacy Lorine Cooper
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  4. Lisa Anne Jacobson
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Correspondence to Kathy Jeanne Ruble.

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Ruble, K.J., Paré-Blagoev, E.J., Cooper, S.L. et al. Assessment of Online Resources for Returning to School During and After Treatment of Childhood Cancer. J Canc Educ 35, 876–884 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13187-019-01537-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13187-019-01537-y

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