Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35037081›Full record

ArticleAesthetic plastic surgery2022

A Multimetric Readability Analysis of Online Patient Educational Materials for Submental Fat Reduction.

Irene A Chang, Michael W Wells, David X Zheng, Kathleen M Mulligan, Christina Wong, Jeffrey F Scott, James E Zins

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Aesthetic plastic surgery, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Irene A ChangSchool of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA.
Michael W WellsSchool of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA.
David X ZhengSchool of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA.
Kathleen M MulliganSchool of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA.
Christina WongDepartment of Dermatology, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA.
Jeffrey F ScottDepartment of Dermatology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
James E ZinsDepartment Chair, Department of Plastic Surgery, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine, 9500 Euclid Avenue- A60, Cleveland, OH, 44195, USA. zinsj@ccf.org.ORCID 0000-0001-8926-7876

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundPatients often utilize the Internet to seek information related to their care. This study assesses the readability of online patient educational materials for submental fat reduction.

methodsPatient educational materials from the 12 most popular websites related to submental fat reduction were downloaded and assessed for readability grade level using 10 unique scales.

resultsAnalysis of the 12 most popular websites (and corresponding 47 articles) revealed that patient educational materials were written, on average, at an 11th grade reading level. The Flesch Reading Ease score was 48.9 (range 39.8-59.2), representing a "difficult" level of reading. Mean readability grade levels (range 9-13th grade for individual websites) were as follows: Coleman-Liau, 11.1; Flesch-Kincaid, 10.8; FORCAST, 10.8; Fry Graph, 10.1; Gunning Fog, 12.7; New Dale-Chall, 10.1; New Fog Count, 11.8; Simple Measure of Gobbledygook, 11.7; Raygor, 6.7. No website was at the 6th grade reading level for patient educational materials recommended by the American Medical Association and National Institutes of Health.

conclusionsOnline patient educational materials for submental fat reduction are written well above the recommended reading level. Recognition of disparities in health literacy is necessary to enable patients to make informed decisions and become active participants in their own care. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE V: This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors   www.springer.com/00266.

Indexed as

Health LiteracyPlastic Surgery ProceduresComprehensionHumansInternetUnited StatesDouble chin treatmentFacial plastic surgeryHealth information technologyHealth literacyPatient educational materialsSubmental fat reduction

Identifiers

PMID35037081
PMCPMC8761512

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.