Readability of Online Patient Education Materials for Hallux Rigidus

Area of Science:

• Orthopaedic surgery
• Health literacy
• Medical education

Background:

• Patients increasingly use online resources for health information.
• Orthopaedic patient education materials (PEMs) often exceed recommended reading levels.
• Readability of foot and ankle condition information is understudied.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the readability of online patient education materials (PEMs) for Hallux Rigidus.
• To determine if these materials meet the recommended sixth-grade reading level.

Main Methods:

• Google searches for "Hallux Rigidus patient information" and "Big Toe Arthritis patient information" were performed.
• The first 25 websites from each search were analyzed using the Readability Scoring System Plus.
• Multiple readability scores were calculated, including Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level and Gunning Fog Index.

Main Results:

• Online PEMs for Hallux Rigidus were written significantly above the recommended sixth-grade reading level (average Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level 11.3).
• None of the analyzed websites met the sixth-grade reading level criteria.
• No significant difference in readability was found between clinical and general health information websites.

Conclusions:

• Online patient education materials for Hallux Rigidus are not accessible to the average patient.
• The advanced reading level of current online resources may impede patient understanding and health literacy.
• There is a critical need for more readable patient education materials regarding Hallux Rigidus.