Yamaguchi Satoshi, Iwata Kazunari, Nishizumi Kanako, Ito Akane, Ohtori Seiji
Graduate School of Global and Transdisciplinary Studies, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan; Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Graduate School of Medical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan.
Department of Japanese Language and Literature, University of the Sacred Heart, Tokyo, Japan.
J Orthop Sci. 2023 Jul;28(4):901-906. doi: 10.1016/j.jos.2022.05.003. Epub 2022 Jun 9.
The purpose of this study was to quantify the readability and quality of patient materials on the websites of the Japanese Orthopaedic Association and related orthopaedic societies.
We analyzed 143 online patient materials of seven societies, including the Japanese Orthopaedic Association and related six societies. The readability of the text in the material was quantified using two web-based programs ("Obi-3" and "Readability Research Lab") and lexical density. The materials with a difficulty level ≤ second grade of junior high school were classified as "average difficulty," and those ≤ sixth grade of elementary school were classified as "easy to read." The quality of the materials was quantified using the validated Clear Communication Index, DISCERN, and Journal of American Medical Association benchmark criteria scores. The proportion of materials classified as sufficient quality was determined. The measurement values were compared among societies using Kruskal-Wallis tests.
The median difficulty level of the overall materials was the third grade of junior high school using the Obi-3 program. Only 44 (31%) were classified as average difficulty, and none were classified as easy to read. Based on lexical density, 31 (22%) materials were classified as average difficulty. The median Clear Communication Index score was 18 points out of 100. The median DISCERN and Journal of American Medical Association benchmark criteria scores were 27 (out of 75) and 0 (out of 4), respectively. Only one material met the criteria as having sufficient quality. There were significant differences among societies in the lexical density, Clear Communication Index, and DISCERN scores.
The patient materials on the Japanese Orthopaedic Association and related society websites were too difficult to understand. Furthermore, the quality of the materials was not sufficient. Improvement in readability and quality may be necessary to enhance patient-physician communication.
本研究旨在量化日本骨科协会及相关骨科协会网站上患者资料的可读性和质量。
我们分析了包括日本骨科协会及相关六个协会在内的七个协会的143份在线患者资料。使用两个基于网络的程序（“Obi - 3”和“可读性研究实验室”）以及词汇密度来量化资料中文本的可读性。难度等级≤初中二年级的资料被归类为“中等难度”，≤小学六年级的资料被归类为“易于阅读”。使用经过验证的清晰沟通指数、辨别能力评估工具（DISCERN）和美国医学会基准标准分数来量化资料的质量。确定被归类为质量足够的资料比例。使用Kruskal - Wallis检验比较各协会之间的测量值。
使用Obi - 3程序时，总体资料的难度中位数为初中三年级。只有44份（31%）被归类为中等难度，没有一份被归类为易于阅读。基于词汇密度，31份（22%）资料被归类为中等难度。清晰沟通指数的中位数得分为100分中的18分。DISCERN和美国医学会基准标准分数的中位数分别为27分（满分75分）和0分（满分4分）。只有一份资料符合质量足够的标准。各协会在词汇密度、清晰沟通指数和DISCERN分数方面存在显著差异。
日本骨科协会及相关协会网站上的患者资料理解起来过于困难。此外，资料的质量也不充分。可能需要提高可读性和质量以加强医患沟通。
