Online resources for shoulder instability: what are patients reading?

Area of Science:

• Orthopaedic Surgery
• Medical Informatics
• Patient Education

Background:

• Medical literature indicates many online health resources offer subpar information.
• Assessing the quality of online patient education for shoulder instability is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the value and quality of online resources for patient education on shoulder instability.
• To determine the impact of search terms on information quality and readability.

Main Methods:

• Conducted internet searches using "shoulder instability," "loose shoulder," and "shoulder dislocation."
• Orthopaedic residents assessed website quality, accuracy, and mention of surgical options.
• Evaluated website readability using the Flesch-Kincaid score.

Main Results:

• "Shoulder instability" yielded higher quality and accuracy but also a more advanced reading level.
• Websites with reading levels above eighth grade (88%) showed significantly higher quality.
• Only 28% of sites mentioned surgical options; few detailed specific treatments like thermal capsulorrhaphy.

Conclusions:

• Online information on shoulder instability is frequently inaccurate or too complex for patients.
• Search term selection critically affects the quality of online information found.
• Healthcare providers must guide patients toward reliable online resources and appropriate search strategies.