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Readability and Quality Evaluation of Thyroidectomy Websites: A Systematic Review
Maria P Cote1, Jorge L Gomez-Mayorga1, Natalia Chaves2
1Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts.
The Journal of Surgical Research
|October 23, 2024
Summary
Thyroidectomy websites are often difficult to understand, written above the recommended 6th grade reading level. Most of these educational resources are of poor to fair quality, hindering patient decision-making.
Area of Science:
- Health Sciences
- Medical Informatics
- Patient Education
Background:
- Online resources are crucial for patient education regarding thyroidectomy.
- Existing thyroidectomy websites may not meet established readability and quality standards.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the readability and quality of online information available to patients undergoing thyroidectomy.
Main Methods:
- A systematic literature review was conducted in November 2023.
- Searches were performed in Embase, PubMed, and Web of Science databases.
- Studies assessing readability and/or quality of English-written thyroidectomy websites were included.
Main Results:
- Ten studies met the inclusion criteria from over 2000 initially screened.
- All included studies reported website readability above the recommended 6th grade level.
- The quality of thyroidectomy websites was consistently rated as poor to fair.
Conclusions:
- Thyroidectomy websites frequently exceed recommended readability levels for patient education.
- The quality assessment of these websites is inconsistent, limiting direct comparisons.
- There is a critical need to revise and improve online thyroidectomy resources to support informed patient decision-making.
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