Tibial Shaft Fracture Information Online: Is it Going Tibia Okay?
Ethan Gilkinson1,2, Ben Murphy1,2, Niall McGoldrick1
1Department of Trauma & Orthopaedic Surgery, Tallaght University Hospital, Tallaght, Dublin 24, Ireland.
Background:
With easy access to the Internet, the majority of patients today often resort to online material for education. The aim of our study is to assess the quality and readability of online information relating to tibial shaft fractures (TSFs).
Methods:
A search of the top 50 results via three search engines was performed. The readability of these webpages was assessed using www.readable.com to generate scores for the Gunning Fog Index (GFI), Flesch Reading Ease (FRE) and Flesch-Kincaid Grade (FKG). The quality was also assessed using the DISCERN tool and the Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA) benchmark criteria.
Results:
A total of 90 unique websites were noted. The mean FKG was 10.67 ± 2.44, with 70 webpages scored at a reading level which was too high. The mean GFI was 12.2 ± 3.6, with only six webpages pitched at a sixth-grade reading level. The mean FRE score was 38.13 ± 13.21, with no websites reported to be below a seventh-grade reading level. The mean DISCERN score was 49.84 ± 12.42, with an assigned score of "fair". The majority of webpages also failed to meet any of the JAMA criteria (n = 31, 34.44%).
Conclusion:
We have highlighted that online information relating to TSFs is at a reading level which is too high for the average patient and is of low quality. As patient outcomes have shown to improve through appropriate online education, an effort should be made to resolve these inadequacies.
Related Concept Videos
01:27Fractures: Bone Repair
Minor fractures with no bone displacement are treated by immobilizing the fractured bone using a cast or splint. However, in the case of fractures with displaced bones, the broken bones are repositioned before immobilization to ensure successful healing without deformation and loss of function. The realignment of fractured bone ends is performed through a process called reduction. If the...
01:10Bones of the Lower Limb: Tibia and Fibula