Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA. Electronic address: https://www.twitter.com/angelicabha.
Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA. Electronic address: https://www.twitter.com/mjescobarmd.
Surgery. 2024 Oct;176(4):1029-1035. doi: 10.1016/j.surg.2024.06.025. Epub 2024 Jul 18.
Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer-specific mortality in Hispanic women in the United States. Given the complexity of treatment options, disparities in access to quality care, and increased rates of inadequate or marginal health literacy within this population, these patients face significant barriers to informed decision-making. We aimed to assess the health literacy of Spanish breast cancer surgery websites.
A web search using "cirugía de cancer de mama or seno" was performed to identify the top 20 websites in Spanish, divided on the basis of affiliation with academic centers or private institutions and by international/US region. Validated metrics were used to assess readability, understandability, actionability, and cultural sensitivity using Simplified Measure of Gobbledygook in Spanish, Patient Education and Materials Assessment for Understandability and Actionability, and Cultural Sensitivity and Assessment Tool, respectively.
Online materials in Spanish had a mean reading grade level of 10.9 (Simplified Measure of Gobbledygook in Spanish) for academic centers and 10.4 for private institutions. The average understandability score was significantly greater for academic centers at 77% compared with private institutions at 67% (P = .019). Actionability scores were low for both centers at 26% and 37%, respectively. The mean Cultural Sensitivity and Assessment Tool scores were 2.3 and 2.2, respectively.
Current Spanish resources for breast cancer surgery are unfitting not only from a readability standpoint but also in their quality and cultural sensitivity. As the Latino population in the United States increases and online resources become more accessible, we must ensure that these resources cater to their target audience, bridging the health care access gap and empowering patients in decision-making.
在美国，乳腺癌是西班牙裔女性癌症相关死亡的主要原因。鉴于治疗方案的复杂性、获得优质护理的机会不均等以及该人群中健康素养不足或边缘水平的比例增加，这些患者在知情决策方面面临着重大障碍。我们旨在评估西班牙语乳腺癌手术网站的健康素养。
使用“cirugía de cancer de mama or seno”进行网络搜索，以确定前 20 个西班牙语网站，根据与学术中心或私立机构的隶属关系以及国际/美国地区进行划分。使用简化的西班牙 Gobbledygook 测量法、患者教育和材料评估理解和可操作性以及文化敏感性评估工具，分别使用验证的指标评估可读性、可理解性、可操作性和文化敏感性。
西班牙语的在线材料阅读水平平均为 10.9 级（简化的西班牙 Gobbledygook 测量法），学术中心为 10.4 级，私立机构为 10.4 级。学术中心的平均理解能力得分明显高于私立机构的 77%，为 67%（P =.019）。两个中心的可操作性得分分别为 26%和 37%，均较低。文化敏感性和评估工具的平均得分分别为 2.3 和 2.2。
目前西班牙语的乳腺癌手术资源不仅从可读性的角度来看不合适，而且在质量和文化敏感性方面也不合适。随着美国拉丁裔人口的增加和在线资源的普及，我们必须确保这些资源能够满足目标受众的需求，缩小医疗保健获取差距，并赋予患者决策权力。
