Search

To analyze tweets associated with Ménière's disease (MD), including type of users who engage, change in usage patterns, and temporal associations, and to compare the perceptions of the general public with healthcare providers.An R-program code, academictwitterR API, was used to query Twitter. All tweets mentioning MD from 2007 to 2021 were retrieved and analyzed. Valence Aware Dictionary and Sentiment Reasoning was used as a model to assess sentiment of tweets. Two reviewers assessed 1,007 tweets for qualitative analysis, identifying the source and the topic of the tweet.A total of 37,402 tweets were analyzed. The number of tweets per user ranged from 1 to 563 (M = 33.7, SD = 91.1). Quantitative analysis showed no temporal or seasonal association; however, tweeting increased when celebrities were diagnosed with MD. Of the 1007 representative tweets analyzed, 60.6% of tweets came from the general public and were largely of negative sentiment focusing on quality of life and support, whereas healthcare providers accounted for 23% of all tweets and focused on treatment/prevention. Tweets by news sources accounted for the remaining 13% of all tweets and were primarily positive in sentiment and focused on awareness.MD is commonly tweeted about by the general public, with limited input regarding the disease from healthcare providers. Healthcare providers must provide accurate information and awareness regarding MD, especially when awareness is highest, such as when celebrities are diagnosed.Level IV.Indicate IRB or IACUCNot applicable.

To assess the quality, readability, and understandability of posterior glottic stenosis (PGS) information available to patients online.The top 50 Google search results for "posterior glottic stenosis" were categorized based on website affiliation and target audience (patient or provider). Readability was assessed using the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL) and the Flesch Reading Ease (FRE) scores. The DISCERN tool was used to assess quality and the Patient Education Assessment Tool for Printed Materials (PEMAT-P) was used to assess understandability and actionability. Simple descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data.36 of the top 50 results were eligible for scoring. 17% (6 of 36) were classified as patient-focused while 83% (30 of 36) were provider-focused. Patient-focused materials had a higher mean FRE score (36.9) than provider-focused materials (15.5) (P0.001). Patient-focused materials had an average reading level of 12.5 compared to 15.8 for provider-focused materials (P0.001). There was a significant correlation between overall PEMAT-P and DISCERN (r = 0.63, P0.001), PEMAT-P understandability and DISCERN (r = 0.63, P0.001) and FRES and FKGL (r = -0.67, P0.001). From this, we can infer that higher quality sites are easier to understand but not necessarily tailored to a certain reading level.Shared decision making in PGS management is crucial as patients must be aware of how treatment modalities affect airway, voice, and swallowing. However, this study shows that patient targeted PGS information is limited, and the readability, quality, and understandability is generally low. We suggest the development of web pages with PGS information tailored for patient education and search optimization to make this information appear earlier in Google search results. Furthermore, future studies should seek to characterize the link between online health information and socioeconomic-based health disparities.