TY - JOUR
T1 - Survey of quality, readability, and social reach of websites on osteosarcoma in adolescents
AU - Lam, Catherine G.
AU - Roter, Debra L.
AU - Cohen, Kenneth J.
N1 - Funding Information:
Catherine Lam was supported by a Hopkins Sommer Scholarship from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health at the time of the study. There are no financial disclosures from any authors.
PY - 2013/1
Y1 - 2013/1
N2 - Objective: Little is known about Internet resources for adolescent patients. This study assessed the quality, readability, and social reach of websites on an illustrative adolescent cancer diagnosis, osteosarcoma. Methods: The top 50 results from four queries in two search engines were screened. Quality and readability were determined using standard DISCERN tool, Flesch Reading Ease and Flesch-Kinkaid Grade. Social reach was gauged by social networking links, global website traffic, and a pilot adolescent-specificity measure. Results: Of 400 websites assessed, 56 (14%) met inclusion criteria. Websites' mean quality was fair (49.8 on 75-point scale; range 31.0-66.0, poor to excellent); 86% failed readability standards (Grade > 8); 75% offered at least one social networking link; and 34% offered site-specific social media. More than 60% received over 50,000 visits in the past month. Only 12.5% included adolescent-specific content. Of the 10 websites ranked highest for quality, only one achieved both readability targets and adolescent-specific content. Conclusions: Although some patient-oriented websites on osteosarcoma are of acceptable quality, most failed readability targets, and few appeared to address adolescents. Practice implications: Better awareness of Internet health resources and social media for adolescents with cancer is needed to address gaps, promote health literacy and facilitate patient-provider communication.
AB - Objective: Little is known about Internet resources for adolescent patients. This study assessed the quality, readability, and social reach of websites on an illustrative adolescent cancer diagnosis, osteosarcoma. Methods: The top 50 results from four queries in two search engines were screened. Quality and readability were determined using standard DISCERN tool, Flesch Reading Ease and Flesch-Kinkaid Grade. Social reach was gauged by social networking links, global website traffic, and a pilot adolescent-specificity measure. Results: Of 400 websites assessed, 56 (14%) met inclusion criteria. Websites' mean quality was fair (49.8 on 75-point scale; range 31.0-66.0, poor to excellent); 86% failed readability standards (Grade > 8); 75% offered at least one social networking link; and 34% offered site-specific social media. More than 60% received over 50,000 visits in the past month. Only 12.5% included adolescent-specific content. Of the 10 websites ranked highest for quality, only one achieved both readability targets and adolescent-specific content. Conclusions: Although some patient-oriented websites on osteosarcoma are of acceptable quality, most failed readability targets, and few appeared to address adolescents. Practice implications: Better awareness of Internet health resources and social media for adolescents with cancer is needed to address gaps, promote health literacy and facilitate patient-provider communication.
KW - Adolescent
KW - Cancer communication
KW - Consumer health information
KW - Health communication
KW - Health literacy
KW - Health promotion
KW - Internet
KW - Social media
KW - Supportive care
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U2 - 10.1016/j.pec.2012.08.006
DO - 10.1016/j.pec.2012.08.006
M3 - Article
C2 - 22959332
AN - SCOPUS:84870819940
SN - 0738-3991
VL - 90
SP - 82
EP - 87
JO - Patient Education and Counseling
JF - Patient Education and Counseling
IS - 1
ER -