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The readability and reliability of online information about adenoidectomy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 August 2021

O Ahmadi  and
A J Wood
O Ahmadi
Affiliation:
Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Waikato District Health Board, Hamilton, New Zealand
A J Wood*
Affiliation:
Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Waikato District Health Board, Hamilton, New Zealand Department of Surgery, Waikato Clinical Campus, The University of Auckland, New Zealand Waikato Institute of Surgical Education and Research, Hamilton, New Zealand
*
Author for correspondence: Dr Andrew Wood, Waikato Clinical Campus, The University of Auckland, Private Bag 3200, Hamilton3240, New Zealand E-mail: [email protected] Fax: +64 7 839 8681
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Abstract

Objective

There is limited understanding amongst patients and parents of paediatric patients regarding adenoidectomy. Most patients access health-related information online. The aim of this study was to assess the suitability of online information on adenoidectomy.

Method

The term ‘adenoid’ was used to search Google, and the first 50 websites identified were screened. For each website, the readability and quality were assessed.

Results

Of the 41 websites that met the inclusion criteria, the mean readability scores corresponded to ‘difficult to read’ and university-level reading categories. For the quality of the websites, the mean score corresponded to ‘fair’ with 39 per cent of the websites containing either ‘poor’ or ‘very poor’ quality data. The ENT UK information is one of the most readable and reliable online resources.

Conclusion

The online information on adenoidectomy is largely set at an inappropriate readability level and of variable quality. Surgeons should consider assisting their patients with online searches regarding adenoidectomy.

Keywords

AdenoidectomyAdenoidsConsumer Health InformationData AccuracyReadingComprehension
Type
Main Articles
Information
The Journal of Laryngology & Otology , Volume 135 , Issue 11 , November 2021 , pp. 976 - 980
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press

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Footnotes

Dr A Wood takes responsibility for the integrity of the content of the paper

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