Male Infertility Websites: What are Our Patients Reading?

Area of Science:

• Urology
• Digital Health
• Health Communication

Background:

• Individuals of reproductive age frequently use the internet for health information.
• Assessing the quality and readability of online male infertility resources is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the readability and quality of websites providing information on male infertility.
• To identify the adherence of these websites to established quality benchmarks.

Main Methods:

• A systematic search for "male infertility" on Google identified the top 60 websites.
• Reviewers assessed website quality using HONcode accreditation, JAMA benchmark criteria, and DISCERN scores.
• Readability was measured using Flesch Reading Ease and Dale-Chall indexes.

Main Results:

• 60% of websites were classified as "poor quality."
• Only 6.7% met the JAMA benchmark criteria.
• Readability scores indicated a high reading level, with a mean Dale-Chall score of 9.53 and a mean Flesch Reading Ease index of 34.01.

Conclusions:

• A significant portion of male infertility websites offer low-quality, difficult-to-read information.
• Treatment details, including risks and benefits, were often lacking.
• Healthcare providers should advise patients about the prevalence of incomplete and unreadable online information regarding male infertility.