Readability and Quality Evaluation of Thyroidectomy Websites: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Introduction

Online websites are a major source of educational material for patients undergoing thyroidectomy. We hypothesize that thyroidectomy websites have low quality and are written above the 6^th grade readability recommendation.

Methods

A systematic literature review of studies evaluating readability and/or quality of thyroidectomy-informing, English-written websites was performed in November 2023 in three major online databases (Embase, PubMed, and Web of Science).

Results

Ten out of 2017 initially screened studies met the inclusion criteria. All studies found websites’ readability above the recommended 6th grade level. Quality was heterogeneously defined and evaluated by seven of the included studies. Nonetheless, all studies deemed most thyroidectomy websites quality as poor to fair.

Conclusions

Websites addressing thyroidectomy do not meet the recommended readability level for patient educational material. The heterogeneity of scoring and reporting of quality limits comparability. This study highlights the necessity of revising and modifying existing websites to adequately aid patient decision-making.