Table 2.
Summary of the Previous Literature Evaluating Readability of Online Patient-Oriented Resources for a Range of Medical and Surgical Conditions
| Authors | Diagnosis | No. of web pages | Word count | FRES | FKGL | SMOG | GFOG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Current study |
Graves' disease and TAO |
50 |
990 (846) |
46 (13) |
11 (3.0) |
13 (2.0) |
13 (3.0) |
| Rennie et al. (8)a |
Age-related macular degeneration |
26 |
|
|
|
16.2 |
|
| Walsh and Volsko (14)b |
Heart disease |
20 |
|
|
10.05±2.24 |
12.50±1.88 |
13.10±3.42 |
| |
Cancer |
20 |
|
|
10.45±1.43 |
12.65±2.08 |
13.50±3.05 |
| |
Stroke |
20 |
|
|
11.20±1.11 |
13.95±1.61 |
15.75±2.95 |
| |
COPD |
20 |
|
|
9.85±2.25 |
11.80±2.44 |
13.95±4.30 |
| |
Diabetes |
20 |
|
|
11.55±0.76 |
14.40±1.47 |
16.05±2.31 |
| Sabharwal et al. (17)c |
Orthopedic (AAOS website) |
426 |
|
|
10.4 [10.2–10.6] |
|
|
| Elliott and Shneker (18)b |
Epilepsy |
595 |
|
47.5 (15.7) |
11.0 (3.0) |
12.8 (2.4) |
|
| Fitzsimmons et al. (2)c |
Parkinson's disease |
100 |
1450 [1081–1818] |
|
12.1 [11.5–12.7] |
14.6 [14.2–15.1] |
|
| Tulbert et al. (4)d |
Dermatology |
60 |
2185 (388–21,097) |
50 (26.8–67.5) |
9.7 (6.9–12) |
|
|
| Bailey et al. (16)d |
Abdominal aortic aneurysm |
50 |
|
39 (29–47) |
|
|
|
| Kasabwala et al. (19)d |
Rhinologic conditions |
34 |
|
35.3 (9.0–53) |
13.4 (10.0–18.3) |
15.0 (12.6–18.7) |
14.9 (11.7–19+) |
| Patel et al. (13)d | Thyroid surgery | 31 | 50.5 (29.3–67.8) | 10.4 (6.9–14.9) | 13.0 (11.8–14.5) | 13.5 (10.6–18.0) |
Comparison with median readability data (and interquartile ranges) in the current study.
Data values are reported as: amean; bmean±SD; cmean [95% confidence interval]; dmean (range).
AAOS, American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons; COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; TAO, thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy.