1. Assessment of American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association-Approved Teams' Websites for Patient-Oriented Content and Readability.
- Author
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Alfonso AR, DeMitchell-Rodriguez EM, Ramly EP, Noel DY, Levy-Lambert D, Wang MM, Kantar RS, and Flores RL
- Subjects
- Child, Humans, Internet, Reading, United States, Cleft Palate, Comprehension
- Abstract
Objective: Informed decision-making relies on available information, including online resources. We evaluated the content and readability of websites published by American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association (ACPA)-approved cleft lip and/or palate (CLP) teams in the United States., Design: Team websites were reviewed, and teams with no accessible website or <30 sentences of content were excluded. Website content was scored by presence/absence of 20 variables derived from ACPA approval standards. Readability was evaluated with 8 scales. Readability was then compared to American Medical Association (AMA) recommendations. The relationship between website content and readability was assessed., Main Outcome Measure(s): Content and readability of team websites., Results: From 167 reviewed teams, 47 (28.1%) had nonfunctional links, 17 (10.2%) had no accessible website, and 39 (23.4%) had <30 sentences. The average content score for all 111 team websites included was 14.5 (2.6) of 20. The combined average reading level across all scales (10.7 [1.9]) exceeded the AMA-recommended sixth-grade reading level; this finding held true for each individual website. Children's Hospital-affiliated teams (n = 86) had a significantly higher content score (14.8 vs 13.5; P = .03) and better readability as evidenced by lower reading grade level (10.5 vs 11.4; P = .04). On linear regression, a higher content score significantly predicted better readability (β = -0.226; P < .001)., Conclusions: Websites published by ACPA-approved CLP teams vary in accessibility and content and exceed the recommended reading level. These findings could inform future efforts to improve patient-oriented resources.
- Published
- 2019
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