Common Disease-Difficult Understanding: Readability Analysis of Superficial Skin Fungal Infections On-Line Materials...

Area of Science:

• Dermatology
• Medical Informatics
• Public Health

Background:

• Limited studies have analyzed the readability of online patient education materials concerning dermatomycoses.
• Assessing the accessibility of online health information is vital for patient comprehension and adherence.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the readability of online patient-facing materials about superficial fungal skin infections.
• To compare readability across different languages (English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Polish) and search terms.

Main Methods:

• Searched Google using translated terms for 'dermatomycosis', 'dermatophytosis', and 'trichophytosis'.
• Screened the first 50 records per language for relevance, accessibility, and patient education focus.
• Assessed readability using the LIX score.

Main Results:

• 167 out of 900 screened articles (19%) were analyzed, with an overall mean LIX score of 56 (very difficult).
• Articles found using 'trichophytosis' (49±3) were most readable, followed by 'dermatophytosis' (54±8) and 'dermatomycosis' (58±7).
• English (48±7) and Spanish (50±5) articles were most readable, while Polish (63±4) were least readable.

Conclusions:

• Poor readability of online dermatomycosis information may impede patient understanding, leading to incorrect antifungal use and potential resistance.
• Dermatologists must proactively create and ensure the availability of accessible online patient resources.