bims-librar 2024-12-01 papers

bims-librar

Biomed News

on Biomedical librarianship

Issue of 2024–12–01
thirty-one papers selected by
Thomas Krichel, Open Library Society

Act now to stop millions of research papers from disappearing.
Will AI revolutionize literature reviews?
The Neuro-Ophthalmology Virtual Education Library (NOVEL).
Information literacy instruction by librarians is integrated into the doctor of pharmacy curriculum in the USA but requires evidence of impact.
Understanding clinical library services as knowledge mobilisation activities: Mixed method evaluation of an Evidence Access service in a mental health trust.
EMBL's European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI) in 2024.
Network for Knowledge Organization (NEKO): an AI knowledge mining workflow for synthetic biology research.
The text2term tool to map free-text descriptions of biomedical terms to ontologies.
KnowVID-19: A Knowledge-Based System to Extract Targeted COVID-19 Information from Online Medical Repositories.
Reporting of Search Strategy Among Systematic Reviews in Leading Dental Specialty Journals: A Research-On-Research Study.
Evaluation of the reliability and readability of answers given by chatbots to frequently asked questions about endophthalmitis: A cross-sectional study on chatbots.
Online health literacy resources for people with intellectual disability: protocol for a grey literature scoping review.
Evaluating the feasibility and utility of machine translation for patient education materials written in plain language to increase accessibility for populations with limited english proficiency.
Artificial intelligence versus clinical judgement: how accurately do generative models reflect CNS guidelines for chiari malformation?
Quality, Reliability, and Readability of Peripheral Nerve Intervention Websites for Patients.
The quality of information on anxiety-related websites: A systematic search about the most online item searched after Covid-19 pandemics.
Content accuracy and readability of dietary advice available on webpages: A systematic review of the evidence.
Quality and readability of online information about piriformis syndrome.
The Readability, Understandability, and Suitability of Online Resources for Ostomy Care.
Evaluating the Quality of Information in Instagram Posts Related to Spine Surgery: A Methodological Study.
ChatGPT as a Source for Patient Information on Patellofemoral Surgery-A Comparative Study Amongst Laymen, Doctors, and Experts.
Informal Prenatal Genetic Screening Education: What can you learn from Google and YouTube?
Physician-led YouTube videos related to anterior cruciate ligament injuries provide higher quality educational content compared to other sources.
Evaluation of Accuracy and Engagement of Otolaryngology Educational Videos on Instagram.
The Discourse Surrounding Polycystic Ovary Syndrome on TikTok: A Social Media Analysis.
Social media as health educator: An assessment of the understandability and accuracy of tiktok content about contraception.
TikTok and frozen shoulder: a cross-sectional study of social media content quality.
Not So Patient-Friendly: Patient Education Materials in Rheumatology and Internal Medicine Fall Short of Nationally Recommended Readability Benchmarks in the United States.
Improving processing fluency to encourage family health information seeking: The mediating role of communication efficacy.
Health information-seeking behavior among people living with the two common chronic diseases in low and middle-income countries (LMICs). A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Information sharing and seeking about nutrition-related complementary and alternative medicines in online forums for people affected by cancer: A content analysis of discussion threads.

Nature. 2024 Nov;635(8040): 785-786

Act now to stop millions of research papers from disappearing.



Keywords:  Information technology; Publishing; Scientific community

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-024-03842-z
J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2024 Dec;38(12): 2213-2214

Will AI revolutionize literature reviews?

Harald Kittler.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/jdv.20354
Neuroophthalmology. 2024 ;48(6): 444-447

The Neuro-Ophthalmology Virtual Education Library (NOVEL).

Meagan D Seay, Sachin Kedar, Bryan E Hull, Nancy Lombardo, Kathleen B Digre.

  The Neuro-Ophthalmology Virtual Education Library (NOVEL) is the largest online, open-access, repository of neuro-ophthalmology educational material. It contains nearly 20,000 learning objects, including textbooks, PDFs, PowerPoints, videos, and images in a variety of individual and group collections. The purpose of this letter is to increase awareness of this invaluable resource for neuro-ophthalmology education.

Keywords:  NANOS; NOTE; NOVEL; education; illustrated curriculum

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1080/01658107.2024.2380512
Health Info Libr J. 2024 Nov 28.

Information literacy instruction by librarians is integrated into the doctor of pharmacy curriculum in the USA but requires evidence of impact.

Mariana Lapidus, Irena Bond.

   BACKGROUND: Medical librarians play an essential role in providing information literacy instruction for pharmacy students in order to educate them on health information searching, retrieval, and evaluation. Nevertheless, there have been no peer-reviewed publications providing comprehensive data on librarians' involvement in pharmacy education across the United States.
OBJECTIVES: The goal of this study was to investigate the instructional delivery methods, technology used, and topics taught by librarians across the Doctor of Pharmacy curriculum in the United States.
METHODS: A 17-question electronic survey was designed using Qualtrics and distributed via professional library discussion lists in 2023.
RESULTS: Thirty-eight librarians indicated their involvement in teaching information literacy to pharmacy students during orientation sessions, elective and credit-bearing courses using in-class, online synchronous, and hybrid instructional delivery formats. Topics included medical and drug databases, citation management tools, evidence-based medicine, and free drug information resources.
DISCUSSION: This is the first study that provides a broad insight into the teaching roles and instructional trends of medical librarians in pharmacy education.
CONCLUSIONS: Though the results of this survey demonstrate a high level of integration of library instruction into the pharmacy curriculum, more research needs to be done to collect data on medical librarians' contribution to educating student pharmacists.

Keywords:  education and training; information literacy; librarians; medical pharmacists; surveys; teaching

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1111/hir.12558
Health Info Libr J. 2024 Nov 26.

Understanding clinical library services as knowledge mobilisation activities: Mixed method evaluation of an Evidence Access service in a mental health trust.

Rachel Steele, Sarah Knowles, Sarah Daniel, Samantha Gavaghan, Rachel Churchill.

   BACKGROUND: Access to tailored evidence syntheses can support frontline clinical staff to make evidence-informed care decisions, but evaluation of such services requires understanding of user needs within context.
OBJECTIVES: We evaluated an Evidence Access service by clinical librarians in a mental health trust in northern England to assess impacts on staff decision making and identify areas for improvement.
METHODS: The evaluation was guided by the integrated Promoting Action on Research in Health Services framework. We evaluated the service through a survey, semi-structured interviews, and service mapping with the library team.
RESULTS: Staff who used the service valued it highly and particularly appreciated the rapid response and trusting relationships with library staff. Mental health nurses required proactive support to encourage them to access the service.
DISCUSSION: The service could be used to generate clinically relevant research questions in collaboration with researchers, but would require support for the negotiation of the value of different questions and understanding of each other's needs and priorities.
CONCLUSIONS: An Evidence Access service provided by a clinical librarian is highly valued by mental health staff. Collaboration between researchers and clinicians to identify and respond to evidence gaps would require commitment to building relationships and capacity.

Keywords:  collaboration; evaluation; knowledge synthesis; knowledge translation; librarian, clinical; mental health services; research networks

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1111/hir.12557
Nucleic Acids Res. 2024 Nov 28. pii: gkae1089. [Epub ahead of print]

EMBL's European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI) in 2024.

Matthew Thakur, Catherine Brooksbank, Robert D Finn, Helen V Firth, Julia Foreman, Mallory Freeberg, Kim T Gurwitz, Melissa Harrison, David Hulcoop, Sarah E Hunt, Andrew R Leach, Mariia Levchenko, Diana Marques, Ellen M McDonagh, Aziz Mithani, Helen Parkinson, Yasset Perez-Riverol, Zinaida Perova, Ugis Sarkans, Santosh Tirunagari, Eleni Tzampatzopoulou, Aravind Venkatesan, Juan-Antonio Vizcaino, Benjamin Wingfield, Barbara Zdrazil, Johanna McEntyre.

The European Molecular Biology Laboratory's European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI) is one of the world's leading sources of public biomolecular data. Based at the Wellcome Genome Campus in Hinxton, UK, EMBL-EBI is one of six sites of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Europe's only intergovernmental life sciences organization. This overview summarizes the latest developments in services that EMBL-EBI data resources provide to scientific communities globally (https://www.ebi.ac.uk/services).

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/nar/gkae1089
Metab Eng. 2024 Nov 21. pii: S1096-7176(24)00148-4. [Epub ahead of print]

Network for Knowledge Organization (NEKO): an AI knowledge mining workflow for synthetic biology research.

Zhengyang Xiao, Himadri B Pakrasi, Yixin Chen, Yinjie J Tang.

  Large language models (LLMs) can complete general scientific question-and-answer, yet they are constrained by their pretraining cut-off dates and lack the ability to provide specific, cited scientific knowledge. Here, we introduce Network for Knowledge Organization (NEKO), a workflow that uses LLM Qwen to extract knowledge through scientific literature text mining. When user inputs a keyword of interest, NEKO can generate knowledge graphs to link bioinformation entities and perform comprehensive summaries from PubMed search. NEKO significantly enhance LLM ability and has immediate applications in daily academic tasks such as education of young scientists, literature review, paper writing, experiment planning/troubleshooting, and new ideas/hypothesis generation. We exemplified this workflow's applicability through several case studies on yeast fermentation and cyanobacterial biorefinery. NEKO's output is more informative, specific, and actionable than GPT-4's zero-shot Q&A. NEKO offers flexible, lightweight local deployment options. NEKO democratizes artificial intelligence (AI) tools, making scientific foundation model more accessible to researchers without excessive computational power.

Keywords:  Foundation model; Large language model; Qwen; Retrieval augmented generation; knowledge graph

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ymben.2024.11.006
Database (Oxford). 2024 Nov 28. pii: baae119. [Epub ahead of print]2024

The text2term tool to map free-text descriptions of biomedical terms to ontologies.

Rafael S Gonçalves, Jason Payne, Amelia Tan, Carmen Benitez, Jamie Haddock, Robert Gentleman.

There is an ongoing need for scalable tools to aid researchers in both retrospective and prospective standardization of discrete entity types-such as disease names, cell types, or chemicals-that are used in metadata associated with biomedical data. When metadata are not well-structured or precise, the associated data are harder to find and are often burdensome to reuse, analyze, or integrate with other datasets due to the upfront curation effort required to make the data usable-typically through retrospective standardization and cleaning of the (meta)data. With the goal of facilitating the task of standardizing metadata-either in bulk or in a one-by-one fashion, e.g. to support autocompletion of biomedical entities in forms-we have developed an open-source tool called text2term that maps free-text descriptions of biomedical entities to controlled terms in ontologies. The tool is highly configurable and can be used in multiple ways that cater to different users and expertise levels-it is available on Python Package Index and can be used programmatically as any Python package; it can also be used via a command-line interface or via our hosted, graphical user interface-based web application or by deploying a local instance of our interactive application using Docker. Database URL: https://pypi.org/project/text2term.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/database/baae119
Biomolecules. 2024 Nov 06. pii: 1411. [Epub ahead of print]14(11):

KnowVID-19: A Knowledge-Based System to Extract Targeted COVID-19 Information from Online Medical Repositories.

Muzzamil Aziz, Ioana Popa, Amjad Zia, Andreas Fischer, Sabih Ahmed Khan, Amirreza Fazely Hamedani, Abdul R Asif.

  We present KnowVID-19, a knowledge-based system that assists medical researchers and scientists in extracting targeted information quickly and efficiently from online medical literature repositories, such as PubMed, PubMed Central, and other biomedical sources. The system utilizes various open-source machine learning tools, such as GROBID, S2ORC, and BioC to streamline the processes of data extraction and data mining. Central to the functionality of KnowVID-19 is its keyword-based text classification process, which plays a pivotal role in organizing and categorizing the extracted information. By employing machine learning techniques for keyword extraction-specifically RAKE, YAKE, and KeyBERT-KnowVID-19 systematically categorizes publication data into distinct topics and subtopics. This topic structuring enhances the system's ability to match user queries with relevant research, improving both the accuracy and efficiency of the search results. In addition, KnowVID-19 leverages the NetworkX Python library to construct networks of the most relevant terms within publications. These networks are then visualized using Cytoscape software, providing a graphical representation of the relationships between key terms. This network visualization allows researchers to easily track emerging trends and developments related to COVID-19, long COVID, and associated topics, facilitating more informed and user-centered exploration of the scientific literature. KnowVID-19 also provides an interactive web application with an intuitive, user-centered interface. This platform supports seamless keyword searching and filtering, as well as a visual network of term associations to help users quickly identify emerging research trends. The responsive design and network visualization enables efficient navigation and access to targeted COVID-19 literature, enhancing both the user experience and the accuracy of data-driven insights.

Keywords:  COVID-19; artificial intelligence; knowledge-based system; long COVID; natural language processing; text mining; web crawling and scraping

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3390/biom14111411
J Oral Rehabil. 2024 Nov 26.

Reporting of Search Strategy Among Systematic Reviews in Leading Dental Specialty Journals: A Research-On-Research Study.

Jiayi Li, Xueqian Yu, Lingyue Gao, Lijing Xin, Yan Wang, Feiyang Guo, Fang Hua.

   BACKGROUND: Literature searching is one of the main determinants of a systematic review (SR)'s reliability. Thus, adequate reporting of search strategy is essential for the critical appraisal of SRs and evidence-based practice.
OBJECTIVES: To assess the reporting quality of search strategy among SRs in leading dental specialty journals, and to identify factors associated with quality of reporting.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: Six leading dental journals with the highest 5-year impact factors in their respective specialty were included. A hand search was undertaken to identify SRs published between 2017 and 2022. Full texts were reviewed by two authors to identify eligible SRs. Reporting quality was assessed and scored using a modified 15-item checklist based on Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses literature search extension (PRISMA-S). Univariable and multivariable linear regression analyses were then performed.
SETTINGS AND SAMPLE POPULATION: A total of 152 reviews were included and assessed.
RESULTS: As for information sources, only 'citation searching' was adequately reported in most reviews 110 (72.4%). Only 23 (15.1%) of the included reviews clearly reported search strategies. Information about peer review was provided in only 10 reviews (6.6%). Only 91 (59.9%) of the included reviews documented the total records clearly. According to multivariable regression analysis, industrial funding (p = 0.012), registration (p = 0.013) and librarian involvement (p = 0.004) were significantly associated with higher reporting quality.
CONCLUSIONS: The reporting quality of search strategy among SRs in leading dental specialty journals is suboptimal. Researchers, librarians, reviewers and journal editors in dentistry need to be familiar with the PRISMA-S checklist, and make concerted efforts to improve the reporting of search strategy in SRs.

Keywords:  dentistry; methodology; reporting guidelines; reporting quality; search strategy; systematic reviews

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1111/joor.13904
Health Informatics J. 2024 Oct-Dec;30(4):30(4): 14604582241304679

Evaluation of the reliability and readability of answers given by chatbots to frequently asked questions about endophthalmitis: A cross-sectional study on chatbots.

Suleyman Demir.

  Objective: This study aimed to investigate the accuracy, reliability, and readability of A-Eye Consult, ChatGPT-4.0, Google Gemini and Copilot AI large language models (LLMs) in responding to patient questions about endophthalmitis. Methods: The LLMs' responses to 25 questions about endophthalmitis, frequently asked by patients, were evaluated by two ophthalmologists using a five-point Likert scale, with scores ranging from 1-5. The DISCERN scale assessed the reliability of the LLMs' responses, whereas the Flesch Reading Ease (FRE) and Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL) indices assessed readability and text complexity, respectively. Results: A-Eye Consult and ChatGPT-4.0 outperformed Google Gemini and Copilot in providing comprehensive and precise responses. The Likert score significantly differed across all four LLMs (p < .001), with A-Eye Consult scoring significantly higher than Google Gemini and Copilot (p < .001). Conclusions: A-Eye Consult and ChatGPT-4.0 responses, while more complex than those of other LLMs, provided more reliable and accurate information.

Keywords:  a-eye consult; artificial intelligence; chatgpt-4.0; copilot; endophthalmitis; google gemini

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1177/14604582241304679
BMJ Open. 2024 Nov 24. 14(11): e088509

Online health literacy resources for people with intellectual disability: protocol for a grey literature scoping review.

Zhenmei Yeap, Jessica Keeley, Rachel Skoss, Susan Hunt, Angela Kickett, Jacinta Saldaris, Thomas Nevill, Jenny Downs.

   INTRODUCTION: People with intellectual disability are at risk of poor physical and mental health. Risks to health are compounded by poor health literacy, that is, reduced capacity to access health services, respond quickly to changes in health status and navigate care pathways. Building health literacy skills is a strength-based way to increase health and optimise the use of healthcare services. The internet is a primary source of health information for many people, including people with intellectual disability and their families. This scoping review will aim to identify and collate online lay healthcare resources available to and developed for people with intellectual disability and their families and evaluate whether domains of health literacy are addressed.
METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This review will be reported following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for scoping reviews guidelines. The proposed search strategy has three components. Resources will be identified by (1) reviewing disability organisation websites, (2) searching key disability and health terms in the Google search engine and (3) snowball sampling to identify additional resources through links in identified websites and resources. Resources will be selected if they are freely available, presented in or translatable into English, provide health information and are directed to people with intellectual disability or their family members. Extracted data will include descriptors of the source, format, area of health and targeted age range. Content relevant to domains of health literacy will be documented and gaps in available health information will be identified. Study findings will be presented in narrative, tabular and visual forms.
ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethical approval will not be sought because primary data will not be collected. The results will be disseminated in peer-reviewed literature, as conference presentations, as a synthesised resource for people with intellectual disability and their families and in summary documents for health service managers and policymakers.

Keywords:  Developmental neurology & neurodisability; Health Equity; Health Literacy

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2024-088509
Patient Educ Couns. 2024 Nov 20. pii: S0738-3991(24)00427-0. [Epub ahead of print]131 108560

Evaluating the feasibility and utility of machine translation for patient education materials written in plain language to increase accessibility for populations with limited english proficiency.

Mohamed Ugas, Maria Anna Calamia, Jessica Tan, Ben Umakanthan, Christine Hill, Karen Tse, Angela Cashell, Zaynab Muraj, Meredith Giuliani, Janet Papadakos.

   BACKGROUND: Populations with limited English proficiency (LEP) face comprehension barriers with health information as navigating healthcare systems involves encountering health information that is written at high reading grade levels, utilizes complex medical jargon, and unfamiliar or abstract terms and concepts. Despite the serious consequences of language discordance there is limited funding available for the translation of patient education material in the public healthcare setting. In response to the imperative need to provide equal access to patient education materials to all patients, regardless of English language proficiency, some have raised the feasibility of leveraging machine translation software. This study investigates the feasibility and utility of using machine translation (Google Translate) to translate patient education materials written in plain language.
METHODS: A sample of 5 patient education pamphlets were selected for inclusion based on their high usage and importance. These were assessed for their readability and translated by both human translators and using Google Translate into Spanish, Portuguese, Punjabi, Simplified Chinese, and Vietnamese. Medical translators conducted blinded appraisal of both sets of translations on four domains.
RESULTS: Spanish and Vietnamese language pamphlets achieved the highest overall scores. There were significant differences between human and machine translation in favour of the former for all of the languages, although machine translation scored above 3/5 in 90 % of the domains tested. There was no correlation between readability scores and translation scores.
DISCUSSION: Google Translate performs well in multiple translation domains despite its continued inferiority relative to professional human translation. The high scoring of machine translated pamphlets, particularly in the most crucial domain of severity however, points to its potential adoption in a limited capacity in healthcare settings, with processes in place, like pre-screening for high-risk content that may pose a threat to patient well-being.

Keywords:  Language proficiency; Machine translation; Patient education; Patient equity; Plain language

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pec.2024.108560
Clin Neurol Neurosurg. 2024 Nov 26. pii: S0303-8467(24)00549-3. [Epub ahead of print]248 108662

Artificial intelligence versus clinical judgement: how accurately do generative models reflect CNS guidelines for chiari malformation?

David Shin, Hyunah Park, Isabel Shaffrey, Vahe Yacoubian, Taha M Taka, Justin Dye, Olumide Danisa.

   OBJECTIVE: This study investigated the response and readability of generative artificial intelligence (AI) models to questions and recommendations proposed by the 2023 Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS) guidelines for Chiari 1 malformation.
METHODS: Thirteen questions were generated from CNS guidelines and asked to Perplexity, ChatGPT 4o, Microsoft Copilot, and Google Gemini. AI answers were divided into two categories, "concordant" and "non-concordant," according to their alignment with current CNS guidelines. Non-concordant answers were sub-categorized as "insufficient" or "over-conclusive." Responses were evaluated for readability via the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level, Gunning Fog Index, SMOG (Simple Measure of Gobbledygook) Index, and Flesch Reading Ease test.
RESULTS: Perplexity displayed the highest concordance rate of 69.2 %, with non-concordant responses classified as 0 % insufficient and 30.8 % over-conclusive. ChatGPT 4o had the lowest concordance rate at 23.1 %, with 0 % insufficient and 76.9 % over-conclusive classifications. Copilot showed a 61.5 % concordance rate, with 7.7 % insufficient and 30.8 % over-conclusive. Gemini demonstrated a 30.8 % concordance rate, with 7.7 % insufficient and 61.5 % as over-conclusive. Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level scores ranged from 14.48 (Gemini) to 16.48 (Copilot), Gunning Fog Index scores varied between 16.18 (Gemini) and 18.8 (Copilot), SMOG Index scores ranged from 16 (Gemini) to 17.54 (Copilot), and Flesch Reading Ease scores were low across all models, with Gemini showing the highest mean score of 21.3.
CONCLUSION: Perplexity and Copilot emerged as the best-performing for concordance, while ChatGPT and Gemini displayed the highest over-conclusive rates. All responses showcased high complexity and difficult readability. While AI can be valuable in certain aspects of clinical practice, the low concordance rates show that AI should not replace clinician judgement.

Keywords:  Artificial intelligence; Chatgpt; Chiari malformation; Guidelines

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clineuro.2024.108662
Hand (N Y). 2024 Nov 26. 15589447241299045

Quality, Reliability, and Readability of Peripheral Nerve Intervention Websites for Patients.

Keith T Kuo, Kitae Eric Park, Rachana Suresh, Matthew J Heron, Katherine J Zhu, Fares Lebbos, Brandon M Wilde, Danielle Sim, Zachary Zamore, Abdul Jabar Chekfa, Sami H Tuffaha, Ala Elhelali.

   BACKGROUND: This study aims to evaluate the readability, quality, and reliability of online resources about peripheral nerve surgeries to determine if they meet recommended literacy standards.
METHODS: We analyzed a total of 137 peripheral nerve surgery website by performing a Google search using the search terms "nerve transfer," "nerve repair," "nerve graft," "nerve decompression," "neurolysis," "targeted muscle reinnervation," "regenerative peripheral nerve interface," and "vascularized denervated muscle target." The reading level of the website text was assessed using Simple Measures of Gobbledygook, Flesch-Kincaid, and Gunning Fog. Quality was evaluated using the DISCERN Instrument. Reliability was determined using the Journal of American Medical Association Benchmark Criteria.
RESULTS: All the websites exceeded the sixth-grade reading level, with median readability scores corresponding to a high school reading level or above. Conceptually harder peripheral nerve surgeries such as targeted muscle reinnervation and regenerative peripheral nerve interface websites were generally written at a significantly higher reading level than conceptually easier surgeries such as nerve repair and nerve graft. The median quality of the websites was rated as poor, and the median reliability of the websites was rated as low.
CONCLUSIONS: The findings indicate that the current peripheral nerve surgery websites texts do not adhere to recommended reading levels and are constructed with poor quality and low reliability. This potentially hinders patients understanding and utilization of peripheral nerve surgeries, suggesting a need for standardized guidelines to enhance the accessibility of medical information online.

Keywords:  diagnosis; health policy; nerve; nerve injury; nerve reconstruction; outcomes; research & health outcomes

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1177/15589447241299045
J Psychiatr Res. 2024 Nov 24. pii: S0022-3956(24)00677-0. [Epub ahead of print]181 144-150

The quality of information on anxiety-related websites: A systematic search about the most online item searched after Covid-19 pandemics.

Paola Melis, Alessandra Perra, Antonio Egidio Nardi, Thurayya Zreik, Antonio Preti, Mauro Giovanni Carta.

   BACKGROUND: The acquisition of health information via the internet has emerged as a prevalent approach within the general population and is likely to exert an influence on health decision-making processes. This study aims to evaluate the comprehensive quality of online information about anxiety treatment and management comparing websites in English, which is widely used for international scientific communication, and Italian, a popular local language. It was used a multidimensional methodology that assesses scientific quality of information; readability of the website; the technological quality of the website and the website's popularity ranking.
METHODS: We conducted a systematic search on four widely used online search engines. Duplicated, unrelated websites, and scientific papers were excluded. The assessment included the use of several criteria and tools: the DISCERN scale, the JAMA benchmark criteria, adherence to the Health on the Net Code; the Nibbler tool; PageRank; and the Flesch Reading Ease test/the Gulpease readability index.
RESULTS: 78 websites in Italian and 60 in English were evaluated. Quality of information of the English websites was higher than that of the Italian ones, but only a small percentage of them reported high level information about all treatment types and shared decision-making process. Technological quality was higher in English websites. In general, all websites were difficult to read, requiring reading skills at the high school level or higher.
CONCLUSIONS: These results can promote future guidelines to improve online health information. Users should be able to find information about all treatment types (pharmacological and psychosocial) in line with the current guidelines for the treatment and the management of anxiety disorders. This would help internet users to achieve a higher level of quality information.

Keywords:  Health literacy; Online health information; Quality indicators

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychires.2024.11.049
J Hum Nutr Diet. 2025 Feb;38(1): e13395

Content accuracy and readability of dietary advice available on webpages: A systematic review of the evidence.

Evaggelia Fappa, Mary Micheli.

   BACKGROUND: Concerns have been raised regarding the quality of health information published on the World Wide Web, while studies accumulating similar evidence for nutrition-related information are scarce. The present review aimed to systematically accumulate and discuss the findings of studies evaluating the content quality of websites publishing nutrition-related information, based on the PRISMA statement.
METHODS: Studies that have assessed the accuracy and readability of dietary advice published on websites/webpages were evaluated. The SPIDER framework was used for the systematic search of studies, and those that evaluated websites/webpages that did not contain nutritional information, were videos or social media, referred to health professionals, or contained information on a specific theme (e.g., dietary supplements), were excluded.
RESULTS: Twenty-nine studies were included in this review, assessing information, published mainly in English, on 18 different diet-related topics. Twenty of them classified websites and reported, also, results per category. Inconsistent information has been found on 16%-49.6% of websites, with this percentage rising to 54%-94% in the case of 'weight loss' information. Purely congruent with guidelines information was found on 18%-39.7% of websites. Commercial sites were inferior in terms of quality to the rest. The readability level was estimated as higher than the recommended in 9 out of 11 studies that assessed it.
CONCLUSIONS: Results of the present systematic review indicate that inaccurate and hard-to-read dietary advice is found on many websites, regardless of the dietary topic.

Keywords:  diet; information; nutrition; quality; readability; systematic review

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1111/jhn.13395
J Bodyw Mov Ther. 2024 Oct;pii: S1360-8592(24)00504-7. [Epub ahead of print]40 2205-2210

Quality and readability of online information about piriformis syndrome.

Burak Tayyip Dede, Muhammed Oğuz, Ebru Aytekin, Fatih Bağcıer.

   AIM: In this study, we aimed to investigate the quality and readability of websites related to Piriformis Syndrome(PS).
METHOD: On November 14, 2023, we searched the term "Piriformis Syndrome" in Google (https://www.google.com). We evaluated the top 200 uniform resource locators(URLs) in query results for typology, Journal of the American Medical Association(JAMA) scores, the Flesch-Kincaid reading ease(FRE) score, Flesch-Kincaid grade(FKG) level, Gunning-Fog index, and Simple Measure of Gobbledygook(SMOG) grade level. The JAMA scoring system was used to assess quality, and FRE, FKG, Gunning-Fog index and SMOG scores were used to assess the readability of online information. Content analysis was performed for etiology, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment. Treatment options were evaluated as exercise, physical therapy agents, drug therapy, invasive treatments, and surgery.
RESULTS: Of the 138 websites evaluated, 39 were classified as high-quality websites. Scientific publications and health portal websites were found to have high-quality scores. When the readability parameters of the websites were compared in terms of quality, there was no significant difference between high-quality websites and low-quality websites in terms of FRE and FKG scores(p > 0.05), but there was a significant difference in Gunning-Fog index and SMOG scores(p = 0.030, p = 0.010 respectively). The quality score of the top 10 websites was higher than the rest(p = 0.002). When the contents of the websites were analyzed, there was a significant difference only in terms of diagnosis. Scientific websites mentioned diagnosis the most, while commercial websites mentioned it the least. When the treatment content was analyzed, there was a significant difference in terms of surgery. Non-profit websites mentioned it the most, while commercial websites mentioned it the least.
CONCLUSION: High-quality websites were slightly more difficult in the readability parameters. However, the proportion of high-quality websites was quite low. These results may encourage those producing PS-related online information to improve the quality and readability of content and content coverage.

Keywords:  Piriformis syndrome; Quality; Readability; Website

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbmt.2024.11.009
J Wound Ostomy Continence Nurs. 2024 Nov-Dec 01;51(6):51(6): 471-477

The Readability, Understandability, and Suitability of Online Resources for Ostomy Care.

Hannah Ficarino, Cara Moses, Lauren Wood, Gabby Byrd, Smita Bhatia, Daniel Chu, Robert Hollis.

PURPOSE: the purpose of this study was to evaluate the content, readability, understandability, and suitability of online resources for patient specific ostomy care.
DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study.
SUBJECT AND SETTING: Online websites for ostomy care designed for patients.
METHODS: Ostomy care websites designed for patients were identified by querying three online search engines. Content areas were established following assessment of all websites by two reviewers. Readability of each website was determined using the Flesch Reading Ease Test and the Simple Measure of Gobbledygook (SMOG) index. Understandability was measured using the Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool (PEMAT), and suitability was determined using the Suitability Assessment of Materials (SAM). Chi-Square and rank sum tests were used to compare these measures across website type and by number of content areas.
RESULTS: Twenty-three websites met inclusion criteria; 26.1% were for-profit, 13% were government, 26.1% were academic, and 34.8% were non-profit. Nineteen content areas were identified including themes related to pouching, bathing, physical activity, managing output, lifestyle, mental health, and eating. The median number of content areas covered was 8.5 [interquartile range (IQR) 4-13]. The most common content areas were changing/emptying a pouching system (82.6% of websites), preventing/managing peristomal skin irritation (78.3%), eating (60.9%), and odor management (60.9%). Less than 27% of websites had content on irrigation, blockage/constipation, and body image. Readability scores using the Flesch Reading Ease (mean 58, IQR 54.7-69.5) and SMOG Index (mean 9.1, IQR 7.6-9.9) correlated to a high-school or "fairly difficult" reading level. The mean PEMAT measuring understandability was 80 (IQR 78.9-84.0). The mean SAM score checking for suitability (literacy demand, graphics, layout and type, learning stimulation and motivation and cultural appropriateness) was 55% (IQR 48.4%-61.3%), indicating "adequate material." A greater number of content areas on the websites were associated with worse readability (SMOG and Flesch Reading Ease scores) than websites presenting fewer content areas (P = .001 & P < .001, respectively).
CONCLUSIONS: We found significant variability in the content, readability, understandability, and suitability of online materials for ostomy care. Websites with more content areas were associated with worse readability.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1097/WON.0000000000001125
Cureus. 2024 Oct;16(10): e72259

Evaluating the Quality of Information in Instagram Posts Related to Spine Surgery: A Methodological Study.

Omer Faruk Sahın.

  Objective The purpose of this study is to evaluate the quality of information in Instagram posts related to spine surgeries. Materials and methods Seven hashtags related to the most common spine surgeries were identified (#scoliosissurgery, #spondylolisthesis, #microdiscectomy, #spinalfusionsurgery, #spinesurgery, #acdfsurgery, and #vertebroplasty). The first 15 posts listed by the Instagram algorithm for each hashtag were recorded. A total of 105 posts were found, of which 96 were relevant to the research topic, and they were evaluated by two independent physicians using a Modified DISCERN analysis consisting of five questions. Descriptive statistics were calculated, and comparisons were made using the Kruskal-Wallis test and Mann-Whitney U test (p=0.05). Results Fifty percent of the posts (n=48) were shared by physicians, and 50% (n=48) were shared by patients. Among these, 79.2% were photos (n=76), and 20.8% were videos (n=20). When evaluating the information quality of patient and physician posts, the information quality of the physician group was found to be significantly higher than that of the patient group (p<0.001). However, there was no significant difference between the information quality of photo and video posts (P=0.129). Conclusion Although the posts shared by physicians are considered more reliable than those shared by patients, Instagram posts are not regarded as a reliable source of information for patients.

Keywords:  data quality; neurosurgery; scoliosis; spinal discectomy; spine

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.72259
Clin Pract. 2024 Nov 05. 14(6): 2376-2384

ChatGPT as a Source for Patient Information on Patellofemoral Surgery-A Comparative Study Amongst Laymen, Doctors, and Experts.

Andreas Frodl, Andreas Fuchs, Tayfun Yilmaz, Kaywan Izadpanah, Hagen Schmal, Markus Siegel.

   INTRODUCTION: In November 2022, OpenAI launched ChatGPT for public use through a free online platform. ChatGPT is an artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot trained on a broad dataset encompassing a wide range of topics, including medical literature. The usability in the medical field and the quality of AI-generated responses are widely discussed and are the subject of current investigations. Patellofemoral pain is one of the most common conditions among young adults, often prompting patients to seek advice. This study examines the quality of ChatGPT as a source of information regarding patellofemoral conditions and surgery, hypothesizing that there will be differences in the evaluation of responses generated by ChatGPT between populations with different levels of expertise in patellofemoral disorders.
METHODS: A comparison was conducted between laymen, doctors (non-orthopedic), and experts in patellofemoral disorders based on a list of 12 questions. These questions were divided into descriptive and recommendatory categories, with each category further split into basic and advanced content. Questions were used to prompt ChatGPT in April 2024 using the ChatGPT 4.0 engine, and answers were evaluated using a custom tool inspired by the Ensuring Quality Information for Patients (EQIP) instrument. Evaluations were performed independently by laymen, non-orthopedic doctors, and experts, with the results statistically analyzed using a Mann-Whitney U Test. A p-value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.
RESULTS: The study included data from seventeen participants: four experts in patellofemoral disorders, seven non-orthopedic doctors, and six laymen. Experts rated the answers lower on average compared to non-experts. Significant differences were observed in the ratings of descriptive answers with increasing complexity. The average score for experts was 29.3 ± 5.8, whereas non-experts averaged 35.3 ± 5.7. For recommendatory answers, experts also gave lower ratings, particularly for more complex questions.
CONCLUSION: ChatGPT provides good quality answers to questions concerning patellofemoral disorders, although questions with higher complexity were rated lower by patellofemoral experts compared to non-experts. This study emphasizes the potential of ChatGPT as a complementary tool for patient information on patellofemoral disorders, although the quality of the answers fluctuates with the complexity of the questions, which might not be recognized by non-experts. The lack of personalized recommendations and the problem of "AI hallucinations" remain a challenge. Human expertise and judgement, especially from trained healthcare experts, remain irreplaceable.

Keywords:  ChatGPT; healthcare AI; patellofemoral joint

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3390/clinpract14060186
Genet Med Open. 2024 ;pii: 101821. [Epub ahead of print]2

Informal Prenatal Genetic Screening Education: What can you learn from Google and YouTube?

Erin P Johnson, Naomi O Riches, Marwa W Aljardali, Penelope Nussbaum, Evelyn Dean-Olmsted, Erin Rothwell.

   Introduction: The goal of this paper is to explore what online education and decision support tools are freely available to patients about prenatal screening.
Materials and Methods: We 1) conducted an environmental scan using Google Trends to identify and evaluate prenatal screening search terms, 2) created a list of websites and YouTube videos that would be easily accessed by a searcher and 3) characterized the information within those websites and videos, including an examination of their qualities as a decision support tool and a readability analysis.
Results: Fifty websites, containing 62 unique educational resources, and 39 YouTube videos were analyzed. The websites were primarily educational, though the education was provided by a range of sources including non-profit and for-profit organizations, universities, and governments (i.e., public health departments). Readability scores (PEMAT-P) for the sites ranged from 50% to 92%, with a median score of 74%. Two of the websites we evaluated met all of the limited decision support standards we applied; four of the websites included patient stories or experiences and eight included some element of values clarification. Videos were more likely to include values clarification.
Discussion: The information available to patients online is variable. While most is balanced and informative, much is difficult to read and missing key decision-making factors. Healthcare providers should work with patients to ensure they have basic comprehension of the prenatal genetic screening materials, possible result outcomes, and expected steps following a positive screening result.

Keywords:  Decision aids; Health literacy; Patient education; Prenatal screening; Search engine

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gimo.2024.101821
J ISAKOS. 2024 Nov 22. pii: S2059-7754(24)00214-1. [Epub ahead of print] 100367

Physician-led YouTube videos related to anterior cruciate ligament injuries provide higher quality educational content compared to other sources.

Elliott W Cole, Katherine E Bach, Jeffrey J Theismann, Luke L Sang, Zaim Chaudhary, Nirav K Pandya, Brian T Feeley.

   INTRODUCTION: Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries and ACL reconstruction (ACLR) surgery are very common. Patients increasingly use social media platforms like YouTube to find healthcare information to help them make medical decisions. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the quality of YouTube videos providing information about ACL injuries and ACL surgery.
METHODS: The most-viewed YouTube videos for ACL-associated search terms were reviewed for inclusion and assessed by two authors using four video quality assessment tools: Journal of American Medical Association benchmark (JAMA) (0-4), Global Quality Score (GQS) (1-5), modified DISCERN (mod-DISCERN) (0-5), and YouTube ACL Specific Score (ASS) (0-25). Intraclass Correlation Coefficients (ICCs) were calculated to determine interrater reliability. Unpaired t-tests were used for comparisons between groups and linear regressions to identify associations.
RESULTS: There were 45 videos that met the inclusion criteria. Overall, 31.1% of videos reported an academic affiliation, and 53.3% listed an MD as the lead author. Mean JAMA score was 2.8, GQS 3.2, mod-DISCERN 2.6, and overall ASS 5.9. There was good interobserver agreement across all quality tools (ICC>0.75). Videos with an MD lead author had significantly higher JAMA (p<0.001) and GQS (p<0.01) scores than non-physicians. Videos with academic affiliations had significantly higher JAMA (p<0.001), GQS (p<0.01), mod-DISCERN (p<0.01), and ASS Management Domain (p=0.04) scores.
CONCLUSION: Among the most-viewed YouTube videos related to ACL injuries and ACL surgery, physician-led and academically affiliated videos provided higher quality educational information compared to other sources, however, the overall quality of content provided is low.
LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV.

Keywords:  ACL injury; ACL surgery; YouTube; anterior cruciate ligament injury; anterior cruciate ligament surgery

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jisako.2024.100367
Ear Nose Throat J. 2024 Nov 28. 1455613241302518

Evaluation of Accuracy and Engagement of Otolaryngology Educational Videos on Instagram.

Ogechukwu S Anwaegbu, Michel M Adeniran, Adannaya C Ihediwa, Joshua E Lewis, Shobit D Srivastava, Tyler A Janz, Brian J McKinnon.

  Objective: To examine the accuracy, engagement, and quality of otolaryngology-related educational videos produced by health care providers on Instagram. Methods: A systematic search on Instagram was conducted to identify the top 150 video posts using the hashtags #Otolaryngology, #Otolaryngologist, and #ENTeducation, ranging from September 2020 to January 2024. Posts not related to otolaryngology medical education were excluded from analysis. Engagement metrics such as likes, comments, shares, views, and video duration were used to quantify the reach of the content. The Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool for Audiovisual Materials was utilized to evaluate the understandability and actionability of medical educational videos. Results: 54 Instagram videos were analyzed and categorized by content type based on their primary topic-ear (n = 15), nose (n = 20), and throat (n = 19). Overall, 85% of the content was completely accurate, 13% was incomplete/misleading, and 2% was completely inaccurate. The average understandability was high at 89%, and the average actionability was low at 39%. 78% of the videos were created by otolaryngologists, 7% by plastic surgeons, and 15% by other health care providers. Conclusions: Most of the top otolaryngology-related educational content on Instagram was accurate with some misleading and inaccurate content. Although the inaccurate video is small in comparison, the moderate user engagement reveals that even a single inaccurate video can adversely reach and influence many people.

Keywords:  laryngology; medical education; otolaryngology; otology; rhinology; social media

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1177/01455613241302518
Healthcare (Basel). 2024 Nov 12. pii: 2253. [Epub ahead of print]12(22):

The Discourse Surrounding Polycystic Ovary Syndrome on TikTok: A Social Media Analysis.

Anna Horvath, Kendall Chaffin, Sophie Ahmad, Vidhani S Goel, Dale M Netski, Rooman Ahad, Kavita Batra, Rebecca Lee.

   BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Individuals are turning increasingly towards online resources, such as TikTok, to educate themselves on their medical conditions. Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a prominent example, as women report dissatisfaction with the diagnosis process and treatment options. This study aims to provide a content analysis of the quality of PCOS health information on TikTok.
METHODS: A total of 325 TikTok videos were screened. Pertinent data, including likes, comments, shares, and views, along with video content concerning symptoms, interventions, and provider interactions were analyzed. Two reviewers independently used a modified DISCERN criteria to assess the quality of information for each video. A logistic regression was also utilized to model the probability of healthcare professionals creating educational videos.
RESULTS: A total of 238 videos met the eligibility criteria for analysis. Videos had a median of 468,400 views (Q1 = 146,400, Q3 = 1,100,000) and 18,000 likes (Q1 = 5631, Q3 = 65,100). The mean modified DISCERN scores were 3.6 ± 0.9 for physicians (n = 23), 2.0 ± 1.1 for non-physician healthcare providers (n = 52), and 1.0 ± 0.2 for non-healthcare professionals (n = 141) (p < 0.001). Healthcare professionals were 10.9 times more likely to create educational videos in comparison to non-healthcare professionals (p < 0.001).
CONCLUSIONS: TikTok videos related to PCOS attract considerable engagement but provide low-quality information. Most videos were made by non-healthcare professionals, who discussed treatment options with limited or no research. Healthcare providers should be aware of the impacts on patients' preconceived notions and help to improve patient education.

Keywords:  PCOS; TikTok; misinformation; online content; social media

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare12222253
Contracept Reprod Med. 2024 Nov 26. 9(1): 60

Social media as health educator: An assessment of the understandability and accuracy of tiktok content about contraception.

Julianna K Coleman, Maetal E Haas-Kogan, Andrea Pelletier, Rachel E Stoddard, Natasha R Johnson, Julia R Beatini, Nora Y Sun, Alex S Keuroghlian, Deborah Bartz.

   BACKGROUND: Contraception knowledge and attitudes are largely formed from conversations within one's social network. More recently, this network has expanded to include social media. As the fastest growing social media platform, we aimed to assess popular contraception videos on TikTok for content understandability, actionability and accuracy.
METHODS: This is a secondary analysis of the most viewed, contraception-specific TikTok videos that were previously coded as containing educational messaging in a content-analysis study. We assessed videos for understandability (ability to explain a key message) and actionability (identify what they can do to act on that message) using the Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool for Audiovisual Materials (PEMAT-A/V) instrument and for Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, and Purpose (CRAAP) using a modified instrument within the health information education literature.
RESULTS: The 174 videos with educational content scored as understandable but not actionable in PEMAT-A/V assessment, with videos created by healthcare providers (HCPs) performing better than those by non-HCPs in six of eleven domains of understandability. Videos overall scored well in relevance and purpose within the CRAAP assessment. Videos created by HCP's (n = 99) scored higher than those by non-HCPs (n = 75) in relevance (score = 3.9 versus 3.3), authority (score = 4.8 versus 1.7), accuracy (score = 6.0 versus 3.5), and purpose (score = 7.1 versus 5.7) [all p < 0.001]. Regarding video engagement, the median number of views among the videos in the cohort was 604,450. Of all video views, 79.2% were of HCP-created videos and 20.8% were of non-HCP videos.
DISCUSSION: Much of the contraceptive educational messaging on TikTok is understandable, relevant, and accurate. HCP-created videos overall scored better as compared to other creators, though even HCP-created videos score fail to provide actionable recommendations. The videos created by HCP also had greater metrics of engagement. Given this, we encourage HCPs to use social media to better inform its users.

Keywords:  Accuracy; Birth control; Contraception; Health education; Misinformation; PEMAT; Relevance; Social media; TikTok

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1186/s40834-024-00324-5
J Orthop Traumatol. 2024 Nov 24. 25(1): 57

TikTok and frozen shoulder: a cross-sectional study of social media content quality.

SICSeG (Italian Society of Shoulder, Elbow Surgery) Research Committee

   PURPOSE: This study aimed to assess the validity and informational value of the material provided on TikTok regarding frozen shoulders. The hypothesis was that the video content on this platform would not provide adequate and valid information.
METHODS: The current study focused on frozen shoulder videos on the TikTok social media platform. The terms "frozen shoulder" and/or "adhesive capsulitis" were used as keywords for an extensive online search of video content on TikTok, and the first 100 videos were included. Out-of-topic, non-English, and duplicated videos were excluded from the analysis. The duration and numbers of likes, shares, and views were recorded for each video. Further, videos were categorized based on the source (physiotherapist/osteopath, medical doctor, or private user), type of information (physical therapy, etiopathogenesis, anatomy, clinical examination, patient experience, or symptoms), video content (rehabilitation, education, or patient experience/testimony), and the presence of music or a voice. The assessment of the video content's quality and reliability was performed by two experienced shoulder surgeons using the DISCERN instrument, the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) benchmark criteria, and the Global Quality Score (GQS).
RESULTS: A total of 100 videos were included in the analysis, of which 86 (86.0%) were published by physiotherapists/osteopaths. Most of the information and video content focused on physical therapy and rehabilitation (83.0% and 84.0%, respectively). Eighty-four (84.0%) videos included voice comments, while the remaining featured music. The mean number of views was 2,142,215.32 ± 6,148,794.63, while the mean numbers of likes, comments, and shares were 58,438.67 ± 201,863.54, 550.81 ± 1712.22, and 3327.43 ± 7320.81, respectively. The mean video duration was 110.20 ± 116.43 s. The mean DISCERN score, JAMA score, and GQS were 16.17 ± 2.36, 0.61 ± 0.51, and 1.18 ± 0.41, respectively. Videos posted by medical doctors or private users received higher scores than those posted by physiotherapists/osteopaths (p < 0.05).
CONCLUSIONS: The educational value of videos published on TikTok was poor; videos posted by medical doctors exhibited better quality and educational value than those of physiotherapists or osteopaths. It is the responsibility of orthopedic surgeons to investigate the potential benefits, consequences, and implications of TikTok video content for the health of frozen shoulder patients and to propose necessary adjustments. Given the rapid growth of TikTok, further research is needed.
LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV-cross-sectional study.

Keywords:  Adhesive capsulitis; Arthroscopy; Frozen shoulder; Physical therapy; Reels; Rehabilitation; Social media; TikTok

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1186/s10195-024-00805-y
Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken). 2024 Nov 28.

Not So Patient-Friendly: Patient Education Materials in Rheumatology and Internal Medicine Fall Short of Nationally Recommended Readability Benchmarks in the United States.

Yazmin Rustomji, Ugochukwu C Nweke, Sobia Hassan, Meenakshi Jolly, Usama Ahmad.

OBJECTIVE: Patient education materials (PEMs) can help promote health literacy (HL) among patients. However, their use depends on how easily patients can read and comprehend the information. Several national organizations recommend that text be written at a 6th to 8th-grade level. Herein, we assess and compare the readability and comprehension (RC) of PEMs for rheumatological and general medical conditions.
METHODS: We utilized six standardized RC metrics including the well-known Flesch Kincaid Readability Ease (FKRE) and Flesch Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL) to evaluate the RC of PEMs (n=175) on the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) (n=86) and the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) (n=89) websites. Two-sided T-tests compared RC between the two resources. A p-value of ≤0.05 was considered significant.
RESULTS: On all six standardized metrics used, the mean reading level of all PEMs ranged from high school to college level. For example, the mean (SD) of Simple Measure of Gobbledygook (SMOG) was 10.89 (1.88), corresponding to a 10th-grade education, and the mean (SD) of Gunning Fog Score (GFS) was 14.39 (2.49), corresponding to a 14th-grade education required to understand the text. JAMA PEMs had significantly more difficult RC levels compared to ACR PEMs based on five of the six indices used (p<0.05).
CONCLUSION: PEMs available on the ACR and JAMA websites do not align with national organizations' recommendations for RC levels. To enhance patient understanding and promote HL, existing PEMs must be modified in line with these recommendations.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/acr.25473
J Health Psychol. 2024 Nov 25. 13591053241294116

Improving processing fluency to encourage family health information seeking: The mediating role of communication efficacy.

Rachel Wade, Ji Youn Ryu, Hillary Shulman, Shelly Hovick.

  Drawing from the metacognitive literature, this experimental study examines how the relative ease of retrieving information (i.e. processing fluency) impacts individuals' efficacy about engaging in family health discussions and interpersonal information seeking intention across two health topics: family organ donation status and family health history. Participants (N = 609) were randomly assigned to one of three conditions. Those in the easy retrieval task condition (versus a difficult or no task control), who were asked to recall information regarding two (versus six or zero) family members, reported greater processing fluency. Moreover, those who reported greater fluency also reported higher communication efficacy, and a greater intention to seek out family health information. Practically, this study highlights how metacognitive strategies may be used in healthcare settings to motivate patient information seeking. For example, it may be advantageous to start by collecting information for relatively few diseases/family members and slowly build a family history over time.

Keywords:  cognitive processing; communication efficacy; family health information; social cognitions

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1177/13591053241294116
Digit Health. 2024 Jan-Dec;10:10 20552076241302241

Health information-seeking behavior among people living with the two common chronic diseases in low and middle-income countries (LMICs). A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Getanew Aschalew Tesfa, Abel Desalegn Demeke, Mesafint Zewold, Habtamu Setegn Ngusie.

   Objective: The main aim of this review was to systematically collect and summarize the available evidence on health information-seeking behavior among people living with the two common types of chronic diseases in LMICs.
Methods: For this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Google Scholar, and forward and backward citations from included studies. The preferred reporting items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) procedure were followed to develop and report the review. The pooled effect size and the effect's 95% confidence interval were calculated using a random-effect model meta-analysis for each research. A sub-group analysis was done to investigate potential sources of heterogeneity. To identify publication bias, Egger-weighted regression tests were employed.
Results: A total of 4281 articles were retrieved, with ten studies meeting the eligibility criteria for qualitative synthesis and only seven studies were eligible for the meta-analysis. The pooled extent of health information-seeking behavior among chronic disease patients was 50.5% (95% CI: 35.36-65.70, p = 0.00), with high heterogeneity (I2 = 98.25). Based on the sub-group analysis, it was found that 55% (95% CI: 29.9-79.4) of cancer patients and 40% (95% CI: 36.9%-43.9%) of DM patients sought out health-related information. In studies conducted before 2015, the level of health information seeking was 49%, increasing to 52% (95% CI: 41.0%-62.2%) after 2015.
Conclusion: The overall health information seeking behavior among diabetes and cancer patients has increased over time, but remains relatively low, with only nearly half actively seeking information. The findings also emphasize that patients require health-related information on various topics.. Health educators and health professionals should consider this diversity when developing interventions and educational materials to provide patients with the most comprehensive information and education regarding their healthcare issues.
Protocol registration number: CRD42023433169.

Keywords:  Cancer; chronic disease; diabetes; health information; information-seeking behavior

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1177/20552076241302241
J Hum Nutr Diet. 2025 Feb;38(1): e13390

Information sharing and seeking about nutrition-related complementary and alternative medicines in online forums for people affected by cancer: A content analysis of discussion threads.

Elizabeth A Johnston, Susannah K Ayre, Shanae Kalepa, Nathalie Bradford, Jolieke C van der Pols.

   BACKGROUND: Online forums are a key source of information about complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) for people affected by cancer, especially when information needs are not met in healthcare settings. This study therefore investigated nutrition-related CAM information seeking and sharing in online forums for people affected by cancer.
METHODS: This study was conducted in a major online platform that hosts over 10 forums for people affected by cancer and has more than 10,000 registered users. A search strategy was applied to the forums to identify discussion threads with nutrition-related CAM information from January 2020 to December 2023. Content analysis was used to code the topic of, reason for, and source of nutrition-related CAM information sought or shared.
RESULTS: Of 121 threads retrieved, 40 eligible threads contained 155 instances of nutrition-related CAM information seeking or sharing across 86 posts authored by 54 unique users. Most (89%) instances were information sharing rather than seeking. Topics commonly shared included using food items for medicinal purposes (e.g., ginger to reduce nausea) (25%), other sources of nutrition-related CAM information (e.g., book or naturopath) (17%), and oral nutrition supplements (16%). Most common reasons for sharing nutrition-related CAM information were strategies to manage treatment side effects (52%) and as complementary treatment (22%). Information shared was mostly sourced from personal opinion (44%) or experience (33%).
CONCLUSIONS: Information sharing about nutrition-related CAM is relatively common in online forums for people affected by cancer. Healthcare professionals should facilitate access to evidence-based information and advise caution when interpreting information shared in forums.

Keywords:  cancer survivors; caregivers; complementary and alternative; integrative medicine; online information

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1111/jhn.13390