Ko Tsz Ki, Tan Denise Jia Yun, Fan Ka Siu
Department of Surgery, Royal Stoke Hospital, Stoke, United Kingdom.
Department of Surgery, Royal Surrey County Hospital, Guildford, United Kingdom.
JMIR Form Res. 2024 Aug 15;8:e55535. doi: 10.2196/55535.
Foreign body (FB) inhalation, ingestion, and insertion account for 11% of emergency admissions for ear, nose, and throat conditions. Children are disproportionately affected, and urgent intervention may be needed to maintain airway patency and prevent blood vessel occlusion. High-quality, readable online information could help reduce poor outcomes from FBs.
We aim to evaluate the quality and readability of available online health information relating to FBs.
In total, 6 search phrases were queried using the Google search engine. For each search term, the first 30 results were captured. Websites in the English language and displaying health information were included. The provider and country of origin were recorded. The modified 36-item Ensuring Quality Information for Patients tool was used to assess information quality. Readability was assessed using a combination of tools: Flesch Reading Ease score, Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level, Gunning-Fog Index, and Simple Measure of Gobbledygook.
After the removal of duplicates, 73 websites were assessed, with the majority originating from the United States (n=46, 63%). Overall, the quality of the content was of moderate quality, with a median Ensuring Quality Information for Patients score of 21 (IQR 18-25, maximum 29) out of a maximum possible score of 36. Precautionary measures were not mentioned on 41% (n=30) of websites and 30% (n=22) did not identify disk batteries as a risky FB. Red flags necessitating urgent care were identified on 95% (n=69) of websites, with 89% (n=65) advising patients to seek medical attention and 38% (n=28) advising on safe FB removal. Readability scores (Flesch Reading Ease score=12.4, Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level=6.2, Gunning-Fog Index=6.5, and Simple Measure of Gobbledygook=5.9 years) showed most websites (56%) were below the recommended sixth-grade level.
The current quality and readability of information regarding FBs is inadequate. More than half of the websites were above the recommended sixth-grade reading level, and important information regarding high-risk FBs such as disk batteries and magnets was frequently excluded. Strategies should be developed to improve access to high-quality information that informs patients and parents about risks and when to seek medical help. Strategies to promote high-quality websites in search results also have the potential to improve outcomes.
异物吸入、摄入和插入占耳鼻喉疾病急诊入院病例的11%。儿童受影响的比例过高，可能需要紧急干预以维持气道通畅并防止血管阻塞。高质量、易读的在线信息有助于减少异物导致的不良后果。
我们旨在评估与异物相关的现有在线健康信息的质量和可读性。
使用谷歌搜索引擎总共查询了6个搜索短语。对于每个搜索词，获取前30个结果。纳入英文且显示健康信息的网站。记录提供者和来源国。使用修改后的36项患者质量信息保障工具评估信息质量。使用多种工具组合评估可读性：弗莱什易读性分数、弗莱什-金凯德年级水平、冈宁-福格指数和晦涩难懂简易度量。
去除重复项后，评估了73个网站，其中大多数来自美国（n = 46，63%）。总体而言，内容质量中等，患者质量信息保障的中位数分数为21（四分位距18 - 25，最高29），满分36分。41%（n = 30）的网站未提及预防措施，30%（n = 22）未将纽扣电池识别为有风险的异物。95%（n = 69）的网站识别出需要紧急护理的警示信号，89%（n = 65）建议患者寻求医疗关注，38%（n = 28）就安全取出异物提供建议。可读性分数（弗莱什易读性分数 = 12.4，弗莱什-金凯德年级水平 = 6.2，冈宁-福格指数 = 6.5，晦涩难懂简易度量 = 5.9年）显示大多数网站（56%）低于推荐的六年级水平。
当前关于异物的信息质量和可读性不足。超过一半的网站高于推荐的六年级阅读水平，并且经常排除有关纽扣电池和磁铁等高风险异物的重要信息。应制定策略，以改善获取高质量信息的途径，使患者和家长了解风险以及何时寻求医疗帮助。在搜索结果中推广高质量网站的策略也有可能改善结局。
