(239) Readability Assessment of Online Educational Information on Premature Ejaculation

Abstract

Abstract Introduction Approximately one-third of US adults have trouble reading and acting on health-related information. The American Medical Association (AMA) and National Institutes of Health (NIH) recommend that patient education materials should not exceed a sixth-grade reading level. Given the difficulty in defining premature ejaculation (PE) and the lack of a US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) - approved drug therapy, many patients may seek information about PE through online resources. We sought to assess the readability and quality of online educational information on PE in light of these standards. Objective To assess the quality and readability of available online educational information on premature ejaculation using a Google search. Methods The search term “premature ejaculation” was queried on Google and the first 100 web pages were assessed. Duplicate websites, scientific publications, sub-pages of identical websites, or websites with paywalls were excluded from the analysis. Readability was assessed by three validated indices: the Flesch-Kincaid grade level (FKG), the Simple Measure of Gobbledygook (SMOG), and the Coleman-Liau Index (CLI). The quality of websites was assessed using the DISCERN instrument and the presence of Health on the Net (HON) code certification. Results After applying the exclusion criteria, a total of 43 websites were included in the data analysis. There were 15/43 (36.6%) web pages with HON code certification. On average, patient education materials about PE were written at a grade level of 12.2 (range 8.1-17.9). The mean DISCERN score for all web pages was 48.9 out of 80, which is considered “fair” quality. Web pages with HON code certification had a higher mean DISCERN score of 51.7 versus 47.3, which was not found to be significantly different (P=0.19). Conclusions Most of the online educational information on PE is of mediocre quality. In addition, the average web page on PE is written at a senior high school level, exceeding the recommended readability standards set by the AMA and NIH. It is imperative to place an emphasis on improving the quality and readability of online health information on PE to optimize patients’ abilities to make informed decisions. Disclosure No