School of Medicine Riverside, University of California, Riverside.
Division of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery, University of Southern California.
J Craniofac Surg. 2022;33(8):e818-e820. doi: 10.1097/SCS.0000000000008726. Epub 2022 Aug 2.
The increase in healthcare coverage for transgender populations has made facial feminization surgeries (FFS) more accessible. Majority of patients interested in surgery regularly check online medical information to help understand surgical procedures, risks, and recovery. National health organizations recommend that patient information material should be written at a sixth-grade-reading level, but online material often surpasses patient health literacy. This study evaluates the readability of online FFS resources. An Internet search of the top 100 Web sites was conducted using the keywords "facial feminization surgery." Web sites were analyzed for relevant patient information articles on FFS and categorized into health care and nonhealth care groups. Readability examinations were performed for written text using the Automated Readability Index, Coleman-Liau Index, Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level, Gunning Fog Index, and Simple Measure of Gobbledygook Index. Statistical analysis was performed using 2-tailed z tests, with statistical significance set at P≤0.05. A total of 100 articles from 100 Web sites were examined. The average readability for all online FFS resources was at a 12th-grade-writing level. Articles from health care organizations were at a 13th-grade-reading level and nonhealth care organization articles were at a 12th-grade-reading level (P<0.01). Online patient information for FFS is more complex than nationally recommended writing levels, which may interfere with patient decision making and outcomes. Patient resources for FFS should be written at a lower reading level to promote patient education, satisfaction, and compliance.
医疗保健覆盖范围的增加使跨性别群体更容易获得面部女性化手术（FFS）。大多数有兴趣接受手术的患者经常在线检查医疗信息，以帮助了解手术程序、风险和恢复情况。国家卫生组织建议，患者信息材料的写作水平应达到六年级阅读水平，但在线材料往往超过患者的健康素养。本研究评估了在线 FFS 资源的可读性。使用关键字“面部女性化手术”对前 100 个网站进行了互联网搜索。对 FFS 的相关患者信息文章进行了分析，并将网站分为医疗保健和非医疗保健组。使用自动可读性指数、Coleman-Liau 指数、Flesch-Kincaid 年级水平、Gunning Fog 指数和简单测量胡言乱语指数对书面文本进行了可读性检查。使用双尾 z 检验进行统计分析，以 P≤0.05 为统计学意义。共检查了 100 个网站的 100 篇文章。所有在线 FFS 资源的平均可读性均为 12 年级写作水平。来自医疗机构的文章为 13 年级阅读水平，而非医疗机构的文章为 12 年级阅读水平（P<0.01）。FFS 的在线患者信息比国家推荐的写作水平更复杂，这可能会干扰患者的决策和结果。FFS 的患者资源应采用较低的阅读水平，以促进患者教育、满意度和依从性。
