Publication Date
9-1-2024
Journal
Annals of Thoracic Surgery Short Reports
DOI
10.1016/j.atssr.2023.12.021
PMID
39790435
PMCID
PMC11708284
PubMedCentral® Posted Date
2-1-2024
PubMedCentral® Full Text Version
Post-print
Published Open-Access
yes
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Online resources are becoming the primary educational resource for patients. Quality and reliability of websites about coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) procedures are unknown.
METHODS: We queried 4 search engines (Google, Bing, Yahoo!, and Dogpile) for the terms coronary artery bypass, coronary artery bypass graft, coronary artery bypass graft surgery, and CABG. The top 30 websites from each were aggregated. After exclusions, 85 websites were graded with the DISCERN instrument, patient-focused criteria, and readability calculators by a 2-reviewer system.
RESULTS:Accessibility was low; 34.1% of websites disclosed authorship, and 23.5% were available in Spanish. Median total score was 55 of 95 (interquartile range [IQR], 44-68); this score varied by website type (P = .048). Professional medical society (median, 76; IQR, 76-76) and governmental agency (median, 69; IQR, 56.6-75.5) scored higher, whereas industry (median, 51.8; IQR, 47.1-56.4) and hospital/health care (median, 49; IQR, 40-61) scored lower. Readability was low, with median Flesch-Kincaid grade level score of 11.1 (IQR, 9.5-12.6) and 75.3% of websites written above eighth-grade reading level.
CONCLUSIONS: Accessibility of online patient educational resources for CABG procedures is limited by language and reading level despite being widely available. Quality and reliability of the information offered varied between website types. Improving readability to ensure patients' understanding and comprehensive decision-making should be prioritized.
Included in
Cardiology Commons, Cardiovascular Diseases Commons, Medical Sciences Commons, Mental and Social Health Commons, Surgery Commons
