Readability of Online Patient Information Relating to Cleft Palate Surgery

It is important for health care education materials to be easily understood by caretakers of children requiring craniofacial surgery. This study aimed to analyze the readability of Google search results as they pertain to "Cleft Palate Surgery" and "Palatoplasty." Additionally, the study included a search from several locations globally to identify possible geographic differences.

Google searches of the terms "Cleft Palate Surgery" and "Palatoplasty" were performed. Additionally, searches of only "Cleft Palate Surgery" were run from several internet protocol addresses globally.

Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level and Readability Ease, Gunning Fog Index, Simple Measure of Gobbledygook (SMOG) index, and Coleman-Liau Index.

Search results for "Cleft Palate Surgery" were easier to read and comprehend compared to search results for "Palatoplasty." Mean Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level scores were 7.0 and 10.11, respectively (P = .0018). Mean Flesch-Kincaid Reading Ease scores were 61.29 and 40.71, respectively (P = .0003). Mean Gunning Fog Index scores were 8.370 and 10.34, respectively (P = .0458). Mean SMOG Index scores were 6.84 and 8.47, respectively (P = .0260). Mean Coleman-Liau Index scores were 12.95 and 15.33, respectively (P = .0281). No significant differences were found in any of the readability measures based on global location.

Although some improvement can be made, craniofacial surgeons can be confident in the online information pertaining to cleft palate repair, regardless of where the search is performed from. The average readability of the top search results for "Cleft Palate Surgery" is around the seventh-grade reading level (US educational system) and compares favorably to other health care readability analyses.