Journal article
Assessing the Readability of Online Patient Education Resources Related to Neophallus Reconstruction
The Journal of surgical research, Vol.291, pp.296-302
11/01/2023
DOI: 10.1016/j.jss.2023.06.012
PMID: 37506428
Abstract
Online patient education materials (PEMs) often exceed the recommended 6th grade reading level. This can negatively affect transmasculine patients’ understanding of treatment plans, increasing barriers to care and worsening health outcomes and patient satisfaction. This study assessed the readability of online English and Spanish PEMs regarding phalloplasty and urethroplasty.
The English and Spanish terms for phalloplasty and urethroplasty were queried on Google. The first fifty results were grouped into institutional (government, medical school, teaching hospital), noninstitutional (private practice, news channel, blog, etc.), and academic (journal articles, book chapters) categories. Readability scores were generated using the Simple Measure of Gobbledygook and Spanish Simple Measure of Gobbledygook scales.
All PEMs exceeded recommended reading levels. For both procedures, English PEMs had an average reading level approximately of a university sophomore and Spanish PEMs had an average reading level approximately of a high school junior. For both procedures, English PEMs were harder to read than Spanish PEMs overall (P < 0.001) and when compared across the three categories between the two languages (P < 0.001). For Spanish urethroplasty PEMs, noninstitutional PEMs were more difficult to read than institutional PEMs (P < 0.05).
Online information for phalloplasty and urethroplasty should be revised and/or standardized materials should be created by trans-affirming health-care providers and national organizations in order to more fully educate the public and prospective patients prior to intervention. A well-informed patient population will improve patient decision-making and surgeon-patient communication, ultimately leading to better health outcomes.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Assessing the Readability of Online Patient Education Resources Related to Neophallus Reconstruction
- Creators
- Praneet Paidisetty - McGovern Medical School at UTHealth, Houston, TexasSairandri Sathyanarayanan - McGovern Medical School at UTHealth, Houston, TexasLeonard Kuan-Pei Wang - John Sealy School of Medicine, The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TexasKristen Slaughter - McGovern Medical School at UTHealth, Houston, TexasDaniel Freet - The University of Texas Health Science Center at HoustonMatthew Greives - McGovern Medical School at UTHealth, Houston, TexasWendy Chen - McGovern Medical School at UTHealth, Houston, Texas
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- The Journal of surgical research, Vol.291, pp.296-302
- Publisher
- Elsevier Inc
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.jss.2023.06.012
- PMID
- 37506428
- ISSN
- 0022-4804
- eISSN
- 1095-8673
- Number of pages
- 7
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 11/01/2023
- Academic Unit
- Surgery
- Record Identifier
- 9984822992002771
Metrics
1 Record Views