(0328) Readability of Hospital Online Patient Education Materials Across Otolaryngology Specialties

Introduction: This study evaluates the readability of online patient education materials (OPEMs) across otolaryngology subspecialties, hospital characteristics, and national otolaryngology organizations.

Methods: Hospitals from the US News Best Hospitals for Ear, Nose, & Throat list were queried for OPEMs describing a chosen surgery per subspecialty; the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery (AAO), American Laryngological Association (ALA), Ear, Nose, and Throat United Kingdom (ENTUK), and the Canadian Society of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery (CSO) were similarly queried. Google was queried for the top 10 links from hospitals per procedure. Ownership (private/public), presence of respective otolaryngology fellowships, region, and median household income (zip code) were collected. Readability was assessed using seven indices, and scores reported as grade levels were averaged. Analyses were conducted between subspecialties, against national organizations, and across demographic variables. Statistics were performed with SPSS Version 25.

Results: In total, 144 hospitals were evaluated. In rhinology, facial plastics, and sleep medicine, OPEMs from the top 10 links were less readable than ENTUK’s (grade-level averages: 11.36 vs 9.09, p = 0.015; 10.36 vs 7.27, p = 0.001; 11.44 vs 9.29, p < 0.001). In facial plastics, pediatrics, and sleep medicine, the top 10 OPEMs were more readable than AAO’s (10.36 vs 11.71, p = 0.039; 9.16 vs 11.26, p = 0.011; 11.44 vs 12.8, p = 0.005). For pediatric otolaryngology, the top 10 links were more readable than CSO’s (9.162 vs 11.58; p = 0.005; N = 9). In laryngology, the top 10 hospitals' materials were more readable than ALA’s (8.86 vs 11.61; p = 0.007; N = 4).

Conclusions: OPEMs from all sources transgress the NIH reading level standard. Most materials showed better readability than AAO and CSOHNS but less readability than ENTUK. Otolaryngologists may refer patients to ENTUK for generally more readable information.