ENT and Skull Base Surgery

Search Trends and Quality of Online Resources Regarding Thyroidectomy

Lena W. Chen, Division of Head and Neck Endocrine Surgery, Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Vandra Chatrice Harris, Division of Head and Neck Surgery, Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Justin Lee Jia, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA.
Deborah Xingchun Xie, Division of Head and Neck Surgery, Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Ralph Patrick Tufano, Division of Head and Neck Endocrine Surgery, Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Jonathon Owen Russell, Division of Head and Neck Endocrine Surgery, Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.

Document Type

Article

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Thyroidectomy is one of the most common procedures performed in head and neck surgery. The quality of online resources for thyroidectomy is unknown. We aim to evaluate search trends and online resource quality regarding thyroidectomy. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional analysis. SETTING: Websites appearing on Google search. METHODS: The first 30 Google websites for thyroidectomy were reviewed, excluding research, video, and restricted sites. Search patterns were obtained with Google Trends. Quality was measured by readability (Flesch Reading Ease and Flesch-Kinkaid Grade Level), understandability and actionability (Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool), and clinical practice guideline (CPG) compatibility. Fleiss kappa interrater reliability analysis was performed for 2 raters. RESULTS: Twenty-one sites were evaluated. Search popularity for thyroidectomy has increased since 2004. Median reading ease was 42.2 (range, 15.4-62.7) on a scale from 1 to 100, with 100 indicating maximum readability. Median reading grade level was 12 (range, 7-16). Thyroidectomy resources were poorly understandable (median, 66%; range, 21%-88%) and actionable (median, 10%; range, 0%-60%). Median CPG compatibility was 4 out of 5 (range, 0-5). Interrater reliability ranged from substantial to moderate for understandability (0.78), actionability (0.57), and CPG compatibility (0.58), with P < .05 for all results. CONCLUSION: Online resources about thyroidectomy vary in quality and reliability and are written at grade levels above the average reading level of the public. Providers should be aware of existing resources and work to create education resources that meet universal health literacy guidelines. The framework provided in this article may also serve as a guide and provide tangible steps that providers can take to help patients access care.

Medical Subject Headings

Consumer Health Information; Cross-Sectional Studies; Humans; Information Seeking Behavior; Internet; Patient Education as Topic; Reproducibility of Results; Search Engine; Thyroidectomy

Publication Date

7-1-2021

Publication Title

Otolaryngology--head and neck surgery : official journal of American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery

E-ISSN

1097-6817

Volume

165

Issue

First Page

Last Page

PubMed ID

33138718

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1177/0194599820969154

Recommended Citation

Chen, Lena W.; Harris, Vandra Chatrice; Jia, Justin Lee; Xie, Deborah Xingchun; Tufano, Ralph Patrick; and Russell, Jonathon Owen, "Search Trends and Quality of Online Resources Regarding Thyroidectomy" (2021). ENT and Skull Base Surgery. 45.
https://scholar.barrowneuro.org/ent-and-skull-base-surgery/45

Link to Full Text

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