Readability of Spanish language online information for the initial treatment of burns

Kaitlyn Votta; Meghan Metivier; Stephanie Romo; Hannah Garrigan; Alana Drexler; Ariana Nodoushani; Robert Sheridan

doi:10.1016/j.burns.2017.11.008

Readability of Spanish language online information for the initial treatment of burns

Burns. 2018 Jun;44(4):956-961. doi: 10.1016/j.burns.2017.11.008. Epub 2018 May 7.

Authors

Kaitlyn Votta¹, Meghan Metivier², Stephanie Romo³, Hannah Garrigan⁴, Alana Drexler⁵, Ariana Nodoushani⁶, Robert Sheridan⁷

Affiliations

¹ Shriners Hospitals for Children, Clinical Research Department, 51 Blossom Street, Boston, MA 02114, United States. Electronic address: krv003@jefferson.edu.
² Shriners Hospitals for Children, Clinical Research Department, 51 Blossom Street, Boston, MA 02114, United States. Electronic address: mmetivier@shrinenet.org.
³ Shriners Hospitals for Children, Clinical Research Department, 51 Blossom Street, Boston, MA 02114, United States. Electronic address: sromo@nyu.edu.
⁴ Shriners Hospitals for Children, Clinical Research Department, 51 Blossom Street, Boston, MA 02114, United States. Electronic address: hannah.garrigan@jefferson.edu.
⁵ Shriners Hospitals for Children, Clinical Research Department, 51 Blossom Street, Boston, MA 02114, United States. Electronic address: adrexler@shrinenet.org.
⁶ Shriners Hospitals for Children, Clinical Research Department, 51 Blossom Street, Boston, MA 02114, United States. Electronic address: anodoushani@shrinenet.org.
⁷ Shriners Hospitals for Children, Clinical Research Department, 51 Blossom Street, Boston, MA 02114, United States. Electronic address: rsheridan@mgh.harvard.edu.

PMID: 29402576
DOI: 10.1016/j.burns.2017.11.008

Abstract

Objective: This study's aim is to identify the most popular online resources for burn treatment information available in the Spanish language, and to evaluate the readability of this information.

Methods: The phrase "tratamiento de quemaduras" (burn treatment) was entered into search engines Google and Bing on 9/15/2014 and 9/13/2017. The top 12 Spanish web results on each site were identified and analyzed using Readability Studio Professional Edition v2012.1. The software generated a "mean grade reading level" for each article, or the grade of students that could be expected to understand the article's language.

Results: 21 distinct articles were identified at T1 and 17 at T2, with seven overlapping between T1 and T2. The average grade reading level of all the websites ranged from 7.8 to 13.8 at T1 (approximately 8th grade to sophomore year of college) and 7.8 to 12.2 at T2.

Conclusions: No websites were within 1 standard deviation of the American Medical Association recommended 6th grade reading level. With readability showing little improvement during the past three years, providers should be aware of the complexity of online literature, and the potential complications this presents to patients. Additionally, burn centers should prioritize generating more accessible information for the Spanish speaking public.

Keywords: Burn treatment; Health literacy; Readability; Spanish language; Tratamiento de quemaduras.

MeSH terms

Burns / therapy*
Comprehension*
Consumer Health Information*
Health Literacy*
Humans
Internet*
Language*
Reading
Search Engine