Evaluation of Online Written Medication Educational Resources for People Living With Heart Failure

Patient educational resources on heart failure (HF) medications may improve patient understanding, which is critical for informed decision-making and patient self-efficacy. The purpose of our study was to evaluate the quality and readability of written medication educational resources available online.

Two investigators searched Google, Yahoo, and Bing for written patient educational resources that addressed at least one HF medication. We assessed educational quality using the Ensuring Quality Information for Patients (EQIP) tool (range 0 [worst] to 100 [best]), and we evaluated readability using the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level.

From 693 identified webpages, 39 HF medication educational resources met study eligibility. Among included resources, the median Ensuring Quality Information for Patients score was 61% (interquartile range 54%-68%), with 2 (5%) rated as high quality (score ≥ 75%). The median Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level was 8 (interquartile range 8-12), with 4 (10%) resources meeting the recommended 6th-grade reading level.

Most HF medication educational resources available on the Internet are of acceptable educational quality, but could readily be improved. Most resources were beyond the recommended reading grade level for educational resources, limiting their utility for patients with a low literacy level.