(069) ASSESSING READABILITY, UNDERSTANDABILITY, ACTIONABILITY, AND QUALITY OF ONLINE HEALTH RESOURCES FOR SEXUAL HEALTH DURING MENOPAUSE
Authors: Foster J , Sarlashkar P , Mauskar M 
Published: June 2024

Introduction

Recent studies indicate that over half of adults in the United States rely on the internet for accessing health-related information. (1) Patients experiencing menopause may feel a sense of embarrassment about their sexual health and, consequently, turn to online resources to maintain a sense of anonymity. Despite a shift in information-seeking patterns within the last decade, there remains a significant gap in the research assessing the quality of the content that patients encounter online. While prior research has investigated the readability of materials for sexual health promotion and sexual health in men, there are no prior investigations addressing the quality of sexual health materials for individuals experiencing menopause.

Objective

Our objective was to evaluate online patient- oriented health resources concerning sexual health during menopause for their readability, understandability, actionability, and overall quality.

Methods

We conducted a Google keyword search for “sexual health during menopause,” reviewed the first three pages of results, and included 22 unique, relevant resources after excluding journal articles and materials not intended for patient education. We assessed readability using multiple established indices, including the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level. Understandability and actionability were evaluated with the Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool (PEMAT), with a threshold of 70% for actionable or understandable resources. (2) The JAMA benchmark criteria were used to evaluate the quality of each site.(3) Further analysis will consist of qualitative content analysis and assessment of accuracy. Finally, these resources will be compared by the website publisher's industry for any statistically significant differences in any of these outcomes.

Results

No materials met the American Medical Association's recommended readability standards by any metric.(4) The reading level of the reviewed resources ranged from grades 7 to 18. PEMAT scoring revealed that three resources reached the threshold for understandability though none met the criteria for actionability. On average, understandability was 60.1% and actionability was 51.8%. No resource met all four JAMA benchmark criteria. The average criteria met was 2.0. Correlation analysis demonstrated a strong negative correlation between materials’ readability and understandability (r = −0.459, P &lt; .05).

Conclusions

These findings underscore the need for improved patient resources for women’s sexual health during menopause. Future efforts in patient education materials development should prioritize patient concerns and enhancing readability, understandability, and actionability. Sources: 1. Wang X, Cohen RA. Health information technology use among adults: United States, July–December 2022. NCHS Data Brief, no 482. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 2023. DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.15620/cdc:133700. 2. Shoemaker SJ, Wolf MS, Brach C. Development of the Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool (PEMAT): a new measure of understandability and actionability for print and audiovisual patient information. Patient Educ Couns. 2014;96(3):395–403. 3. Silberg WM, Lundberg GD, Musacchio RA. Assessing, Controlling, and Assuring the Quality of Medical Information on the Internet: Caveant Lector et Viewor-Let the Reader and Viewer Beware. JAMA. 1997;277(15):1244–1245. doi:10.1001/jama.1997.03540390074039 4. American Medical Association. CHAPTER 9: OPINIONS ON PROFESSIONAL SELF-REGULATION. https://www.ama-assn.org/sites/ama-assn.org/files/corp/media-browser/code-of-medical-ethics-chapter-9.pdf Published 2016

Disclosure

No.