Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38370509›Full record

ArticleResearch and reports in urology2024

Clear as Mud: Readability Scores in Cloacal Exstrophy Literature and Its Treatment.

Ahmad Haffar, Alexander Hirsch, Christian Morrill, Adelaide Garcia, Zachary Werner, John P Gearhart, Chad Crigger

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Research and reports in urology, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing 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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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.

Ahmad HaffarRobert D. Jeffs Division of Pediatric Urology, James Buchanan Brady Urological Institute, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Charlotte Bloomberg Children's Hospital, Baltimore, MD, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-6768-8258
Alexander HirschRobert D. Jeffs Division of Pediatric Urology, James Buchanan Brady Urological Institute, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Charlotte Bloomberg Children's Hospital, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Christian MorrillRobert D. Jeffs Division of Pediatric Urology, James Buchanan Brady Urological Institute, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Charlotte Bloomberg Children's Hospital, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Adelaide GarciaRobert D. Jeffs Division of Pediatric Urology, James Buchanan Brady Urological Institute, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Charlotte Bloomberg Children's Hospital, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Zachary WernerWest Virginia University School of Medicine, Department of Urology, Division of Pediatric Urology, Morgantown, WV, USA.
John P GearhartRobert D. Jeffs Division of Pediatric Urology, James Buchanan Brady Urological Institute, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Charlotte Bloomberg Children's Hospital, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Chad CriggerRobert D. Jeffs Division of Pediatric Urology, James Buchanan Brady Urological Institute, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Charlotte Bloomberg Children's Hospital, Baltimore, MD, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Purpose: This study examines the readability of online medical information regarding cloacal exstrophy (CE). We hypothesize that inappropriate levels of comprehension are required in these resources, leading to poor understanding and confusion amongst caregivers. Methods: The Google and Bing search engines were used to search the terms "cloacal exstrophy" and "cloacal exstrophy treatment". The first 100 results for each were collected. Each webpage was analyzed for readability using four independent validated scoring systems: the Gunning-Fog index (GFI), SMOG grade (Simple Measure of Gobbledygook), Dale-Chall index (DCI), and the Flesch-Kincaid grade (FKG). Results: Forty-seven unique webpages fit the inclusion criteria. Mean readability scores across all websites were GFI, 14.6; SMOG score, 10.8; DCI, 9.3; and FKG, 11.8, correlating to adjusted grade levels of college sophomore, 11th grade, college, and 11th grade, respectively. There were significant differences across all readability formulas. Non-profit websites were significantly less readable than institutional and commercial webpages (GFI p = 0.012, SMOG p = 0.018, DCI p = 0.021, FKG p = 0.0093). Conclusion: Caregiver-directed health information regarding CE and its treatment available online is written at the 11th grade reading level or above. Online resources pertaining to CE must be simplified to be effective.

Indexed as

cloacal exstrophyexstrophy treatmentonline health informationreadability

Identifiers

PMID38370509
PMCPMC10871133

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC
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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.