Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39351891›Full record

ArticleStrabismus2025

Online resources for strabismus: an evaluation of readability, complexity, and suitability.

Kristin Davis, Caitlin Blades, Scott Larson

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Strabismus, 2025. 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

3 authors.

Kristin DavisCarver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA.
Caitlin BladesDepartment of Surgery, Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, University of Colorado Denver/ Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA.
Scott LarsonDepartment of Ophthalmology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA.

Funding

Colorado Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (CCTSI)UM1TR004399 · NCATS · UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO DENVER · PI JANINE A HIGGINS, RONALD J. SOKOL · 2023 to 2026
$30.7M
CTSA Predoctoral T32 at University of Colorado DenverT32TR004367 · NCATS · UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO DENVER · PI Lisa Cicutto · 2023 to 2026
$1.5M
NCATS NIH HHS T32 TR004367NCATS NIH HHS UM1 TR004399
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionOver one-third of US adults have never attended college, creating a large disparity in the readability of online health materials. Decreased health literacy and accessibility to medical information negatively affect patients and well-informed patients are more likely to experience better health outcomes (1). The NIH and AMA recommend patient-intended education materials be written at a sixth-grade reading level (2), therefore, this study analyzed the accessibility of the top ten web pages for "strabismus."

methodsThe first ten online resources returned in a Google search for "strabismus" were analyzed. Web pages were then assessed for the readability level (Simple Measure of Gobbledygook), complexity (PMOSE/IKIRSCH), and suitability (Suitability Assessment of Materials). Two independent raters assessed the complexity and suitability.

resultsReadability analysis of the strabismus resources revealed an average reading grade level of 11.4 ± 1.07. There was a statistical difference in the reading grade level between the .com and .gov, and the .org and .com websites ( DISCUSSION: On average, online resources for strabismus have a low complexity level. However, the majority of the top ten articles reviewed are above the recommended literacy level, indicating a need for revision. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: The vast amount of available online health resources have significantly affected the field of medicine. Most patients research their disease process using online sources and many reference this material before their initial ophthalmologic consultation. Considering that more than half of Americans read below the equivalent of a sixth-grade level and that the AMA/NIH recommend all patient-intended materials to be written above this level, there is a health literacy disconnect. This limits patients' ability to educate themselves about their medical conditions and participate in informed conversations regarding their healthcare. Patients who are unable to interpret health information accurately have increased rates of hospitalization, develop more medical conditions, and experience a higher rate of mortality. This preventable impediment to informed healthcare care magnifies the urgency for easily readable online resources that are formatted in a manner that is clear to understand and suitable for patients with lower health literacy.

Indexed as

ComprehensionConsumer Health InformationHealth LiteracyInternetPatient Education as TopicStrabismusHumansReadingUnited StatesEducationhealth literacyophthalmic health resourcespatient educationpatient-intended materials

Identifiers

PMID39351891
PMCPMC11821444

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceTDM
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.