Readability and Suitability of Online Uveitis Patient Education Materials.

Authors :: Khan S
Moon J
Martin CA
Bowden E
Chen J
Tsui E
Crowell E
Source :: Ocular immunology and inflammation [Ocul Immunol Inflamm] 2024 Sep; Vol. 32 (7), pp. 1175-1179. Date of Electronic Publication: 2023 May 05.
Publication Year :: 2024
Abstract: Purpose: This study assesses readability, suitability, and accountability of online uveitis patient education materials (PEMs).<br />Methods: Two uveitis specialists reviewed the top 10 websites on Google for keyword "uveitis," with a PubMed review control. Readability was assessed using an online calculator, suitability using the Suitability Assessment of Materials (SAM) tool, and accountability using JAMA benchmarks.<br />Results: The mean SAM score was 21.05, indicating that websites were on average adequately suitable to educate patients. WebMD Uveitis website scored the highest at 25.5, while allaboutvision.org scored the lowest at 18.0. The average Flesch Reading Ease (FRE) score was 44.0 (95% CI: 34.2, 53.8). The average reading grade score was 11.0 (95% CI: 9.4, 12.6). WebMD Uveitis page scored highest on readability. The average accountability score among sites was 2.36 out of 4.<br />Conclusions: Uveitis websites are only adequately suitable as PEMs, and all are above the recommended reading level. Uveitis specialists should advise patients on quality of online PEMs.