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Evaluation of online consumer medication information.
Karissa Y Kim1, Anne Metzger, Patricia R Wigle
1Division of Pharmacy Practice and Administrative Sciences, University of Cincinnati, The James L. Winkle College of Pharmacy, 3225 Eden Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45267, USA. karissa.kim@uc.edu
Research in Social & Administrative Pharmacy : RSAP
|January 29, 2011
Summary
Online consumer medication information (CMI) is accurate but written above the recommended sixth-grade reading level. This study evaluated the readability and comprehensiveness of health websites for patients.
Area of Science:
- Health Informatics
- Consumer Health Information
- Medical Communication
Background:
- Millions of Americans use the internet for health information.
- Readability and comprehensiveness of online consumer medication information (CMI) is understudied.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the readability and comprehensiveness of online CMI.
- Assessing the quality of readily available drug information for the public.
Main Methods:
- Evaluated CMI on Medline Plus, Yahoo Health, and WebMD for 10 common medications.
- Readability assessed using Simple Measure of Gobbledygook (SMOG) and Fry Readability Graph (FRG).
- Comprehensiveness evaluated using Keystone action plan criteria.
Main Results:
- Mean reading level was 13th grade (SMOG) or higher, and 10th grade (FRG) or higher.
- Information accuracy scores were high (mean 21, 21, 19 for Medline Plus, Yahoo Health, WebMD).
Conclusions:
- Online CMI is accurate based on Keystone criteria.
- Readability levels exceed the recommended sixth-grade level, posing a barrier to understanding.
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