ArticleJournal of hand and microsurgery2024
A cross-sectional quantitative analysis of the readability and quality of online resources regarding thumb carpometacarpal joint replacement surgery.
Article in Journal of hand and microsurgery, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
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
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Patient Perspectives After Trapeziectomy Versus Carpometacarpal Prosthesis: A Qualitative Thematic Analysis of Ten Bilateral Cases.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Article
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: Thumb carpometacarpal (CMC) joint osteoarthritis is a common degenerative condition that affects up to 15 % of the population older than 30 years. Poor readability of online health resources has been associated with misinformation, inappropriate care, incorrect self-treatment, worse health outcomes, and increased healthcare resource waste. This study aims to assess the readability and quality of online information regarding thumb carpometacarpal (CMC) joint replacement surgery. Methods: The terms "thumb joint replacement surgery", "thumb carpometacarpal joint replacement surgery", "thumb cmc joint replacement surgery", "thumb arthroplasty", "thumb carpometacarpal arthroplasty", and "thumb cmc arthroplasty" were searched in Google and Bing. Readability was determined using the Flesch Reading Ease Score (FRES) and the Flesch-Kincaid Reading Grade Level (FKGL). FRES >65 or a grade level score of sixth grade and under was considered acceptable. Quality was assessed using the Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool (PEMAT) and a modified DISCERN tool. PEMAT scores below 70 were considered poorly understandable and poorly actionable. Results: A total of 34 websites underwent qualitative analysis. The average FRES was 54.60 ± 7.91 (range 30.30-67.80). Only 3 (8.82 %) websites had a FRES score >65. The average FKGL score was 8.19 ± 1.80 (range 5.60-12.90). Only 3 (8.82 %) websites were written at or below a sixth-grade level. The average PEMAT percentage score for understandability and actionability was 76.82 ± 9.43 (range 61.54-93.75) and 36.18 ± 24.12 (range 0.00-60.00) respectively. Although 22 (64.71 %) of websites met the acceptable standard of 70 % for understandability, none of the websites met the acceptable standard of 70 % for actionability. The average total DISCERN score was 32.00 ± 4.29 (range 24.00-42.00). Conclusions: Most websites reviewed were written above recommended reading levels. Most showed acceptable understandability but none showed acceptable actionability. To avoid the negative outcomes of poor patient understanding of online resources, providers of these resources should optimise accessibility to the average reader by using simple words, avoiding jargon, and analysing texts with readability software before publishing the materials online. Websites should also utilise visual aids and provide clearer pre-operative and post-operative instructions.
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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.