ArticleCureus2019
Poor Readability of Online Patient Resources Regarding Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy for Melanoma.
Article in Cureus, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background Established guidelines recommend that patient educational materials should be set at no higher than a sixth-grade reading level to be considered adequately comprehensible to the general public. Our study objective was to assess the readability of online patient resources related to sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) as part of treatment for melanoma. Materials and methods The top 50 results from a Google search (search terms: "sentinel lymph node biopsy melanoma") were analyzed using seven established readability formulae in order to determine their level of adherence to current guidelines. Results We found that the readability of available online patient resources is currently very poor, with only 12% of the websites meeting the sixth-grade reading level criteria according to at least one measure, and 0% meeting the criteria according to all seven assessment tools. Furthermore, half of search results were peer-reviewed academic journal articles not intended for the general public. Discussion and conclusions Online patient resources related to SLNB carried out as part of melanoma treatment have poor readability. Several simple measures may be taken in order to make these resources more accessible and comprehensible to a broader audience. These resources should undergo ongoing evaluation, with the ultimate goal being improved readability and patient education.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.