Abstract
High quality, readable health information is vital to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of this study was to assess the quality and readability of online COVID-19 information using 6 validated tools. This is a cross-sectional study. “COVID-19” was searched across the three most popular English language search engines. Quality was evaluated using the DISCERN score, Journal of the American Medical Association benchmark criteria and Health On the Net Foundation Code of Conduct. Readability was assessed using the Flesch Reading Ease Score, Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level and Gunning-Fog Index. 41 websites were suitable for analysis. 9.8% fulfilled all JAMA criteria. Only one website was HONCode certified. Mean DISCERN score was 47.8/80 (“fair”). This was highest in websites published by a professional society/medical journal/healthcare provider. Readability varied from an 8th to 12th grade level. The overall quality of online COVID-19 information was “fair”. Much of this information was above the recommended 5th to 6th grade level, impeding access for many.
Highlights
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was first described in Wuhan, China in December 2019
We identified the most featured English language search terms pertaining to this disease: “COVID-19”, “2019nCoV”, “novel coronavirus”, “COVID”, “Coronavirus”, “Coronavirus disease” and “SARS-CoV-2”
r2 = 0.009894; p = 0.9458) and FleschKincaid Grade Level (FKGL) (r2 = 0.007388; p = 0.9641) scores by organisation type. In their 2011 report the Special Rapporteur of the United Nations Human Rights Council underscored “the unique and transformative nature of the internet to enable individuals to exercise their right to freedom of opinion and expression, and a range of other human rights, and to promote the progress of society as a whole”
Summary
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was first described in Wuhan, China in December 2019. This article is part of the COVID-19 Health Technology: Design, Regulation, Management, Assessment. Healthcare professionals have represented the primary source of health care information for the public. Recent years have seen major changes in terms of the availability of health information through other sources. The internet is among the most common sources of health care information for patients [5,6,7]. While the availability and usage of online health information has expanded, the quality and readability of that online health information varies considerably [8]. A number of validated tools assess both the quality (Journal of the American Medical Association [JAMA] benchmark criteria, DISCERN criteria, HONcode certification) and readability (Flesch Reading Ease Score [FRES], Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level [FKGL], and Gunning-Fog Index [GFI]) of online healthcare information
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
