Reliability and readability of online patient information for contact lens wearers
Purpose This study aimed to assess the reliability and readability of online patient information regarding contact lens (CL) wear and maintenance, given that many users may employ these resources to supplement or replace professional advice. Methods Ten frequently asked questions (FAQs) concerning C...
| Autores: | , |
|---|---|
| Tipo de recurso: | artículo |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2025 |
| País: | España |
| Institución: | Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) |
| Repositorio: | UPCommons. Portal del coneixement obert de la UPC |
| Idioma: | inglés |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:upcommons.upc.edu:2117/442102 |
| Acceso en línea: | https://hdl.handle.net/2117/442102 https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.clae.2025.102513 |
| Access Level: | acceso abierto |
| Palabra clave: | Online health information Contact lens Reliability Readability Health education Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Ciències de la visió::Instruments òptics i optomètrics |
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Reliability and readability of online patient information for contact lens wearersCardona Torradeflot, Genís|||0000-0002-4770-8992Vega Martínez, CarlaOnline health informationContact lensReliabilityReadabilityHealth educationÀrees temàtiques de la UPC::Ciències de la visió::Instruments òptics i optomètricsPurpose This study aimed to assess the reliability and readability of online patient information regarding contact lens (CL) wear and maintenance, given that many users may employ these resources to supplement or replace professional advice. Methods Ten frequently asked questions (FAQs) concerning CL wear and maintenance were formulated based on clinical experience and literature search. Each FAQ was used to query Google, and the first 20 eligible websites were analysed, yielding a final sample of 200 websites. Reliability was assessed using the short version of the Ensuring Quality Information for Patients (EQIP) tool, while readability was evaluated through the Flesch Reading Ease Score (FRES) and the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL) tests. Websites were classified by country of origin and source type. Non-parametric group contrast and variable correlation analyses were conducted. Results The median EQIP score was 68.0 % (range 29.0 %–90.0 %), with 30.0 % of websites providing high-quality content (=75 %). Websites from encyclopaedias and medical centres/hospitals scored higher in reliability compared to commercial and practitioner sources (p < 0.05). Readability was generally poor, with mean FRES and FKGL values of 55.8 ± 11.3 and 9.9 ± 2.3, respectively, exceeding recommended reading levels. Unexplained technical jargon was found in 59.5 % of websites. Encyclopaedias demonstrated better readability scores than news centres (p = 0.036). A weak but significant inverse correlation was found between EQIP and FRES scores (rho = -0.215; p = 0.002), indicating that higher reliability was associated with slightly better readability. Conclusion Overall, online patient information regarding CL wear and maintenance evidenced moderately high reliability but insufficient readability. Contact lens wearers may find this information difficult to understand, leading to poor compliance and potential ocular complications. Given the critical role of online resources in patient education, eye care professionals should guide patients towards reliable, comprehensible websites and consider modern communication strategies to enhance compliance and safety in CL wear.Peer Reviewed3 - Salut i Benestar20252025-09-0120252025-09-18journal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501VoRhttp://purl.org/coar/version/c_970fb48d4fbd8a85info:eu-repo/semantics/articleapplication/pdfhttps://hdl.handle.net/2117/442102https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.clae.2025.102513reponame:UPCommons. Portal del coneixement obert de la UPCinstname:Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC)Inglésengopen accesshttp://purl.org/coar/access_right/c_abf2Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 Internationalhttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessoai:upcommons.upc.edu:2117/4421022026-05-27T15:37:01Z |
| dc.title.none.fl_str_mv |
Reliability and readability of online patient information for contact lens wearers |
| title |
Reliability and readability of online patient information for contact lens wearers |
| spellingShingle |
Reliability and readability of online patient information for contact lens wearers Cardona Torradeflot, Genís|||0000-0002-4770-8992 Online health information Contact lens Reliability Readability Health education Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Ciències de la visió::Instruments òptics i optomètrics |
| title_short |
Reliability and readability of online patient information for contact lens wearers |
| title_full |
Reliability and readability of online patient information for contact lens wearers |
| title_fullStr |
Reliability and readability of online patient information for contact lens wearers |
| title_full_unstemmed |
Reliability and readability of online patient information for contact lens wearers |
| title_sort |
Reliability and readability of online patient information for contact lens wearers |
| dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv |
Cardona Torradeflot, Genís|||0000-0002-4770-8992 Vega Martínez, Carla |
| author |
Cardona Torradeflot, Genís|||0000-0002-4770-8992 |
| author_facet |
Cardona Torradeflot, Genís|||0000-0002-4770-8992 Vega Martínez, Carla |
| author_role |
author |
| author2 |
Vega Martínez, Carla |
| author2_role |
author |
| dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv |
Online health information Contact lens Reliability Readability Health education Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Ciències de la visió::Instruments òptics i optomètrics |
| topic |
Online health information Contact lens Reliability Readability Health education Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Ciències de la visió::Instruments òptics i optomètrics |
| description |
Purpose This study aimed to assess the reliability and readability of online patient information regarding contact lens (CL) wear and maintenance, given that many users may employ these resources to supplement or replace professional advice. Methods Ten frequently asked questions (FAQs) concerning CL wear and maintenance were formulated based on clinical experience and literature search. Each FAQ was used to query Google, and the first 20 eligible websites were analysed, yielding a final sample of 200 websites. Reliability was assessed using the short version of the Ensuring Quality Information for Patients (EQIP) tool, while readability was evaluated through the Flesch Reading Ease Score (FRES) and the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL) tests. Websites were classified by country of origin and source type. Non-parametric group contrast and variable correlation analyses were conducted. Results The median EQIP score was 68.0 % (range 29.0 %–90.0 %), with 30.0 % of websites providing high-quality content (=75 %). Websites from encyclopaedias and medical centres/hospitals scored higher in reliability compared to commercial and practitioner sources (p < 0.05). Readability was generally poor, with mean FRES and FKGL values of 55.8 ± 11.3 and 9.9 ± 2.3, respectively, exceeding recommended reading levels. Unexplained technical jargon was found in 59.5 % of websites. Encyclopaedias demonstrated better readability scores than news centres (p = 0.036). A weak but significant inverse correlation was found between EQIP and FRES scores (rho = -0.215; p = 0.002), indicating that higher reliability was associated with slightly better readability. Conclusion Overall, online patient information regarding CL wear and maintenance evidenced moderately high reliability but insufficient readability. Contact lens wearers may find this information difficult to understand, leading to poor compliance and potential ocular complications. Given the critical role of online resources in patient education, eye care professionals should guide patients towards reliable, comprehensible websites and consider modern communication strategies to enhance compliance and safety in CL wear. |
| publishDate |
2025 |
| dc.date.none.fl_str_mv |
2025 2025-09-01 2025 2025-09-18 |
| dc.type.none.fl_str_mv |
journal article http://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501 VoR http://purl.org/coar/version/c_970fb48d4fbd8a85 |
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info:eu-repo/semantics/article |
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article |
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https://hdl.handle.net/2117/442102 https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.clae.2025.102513 |
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https://hdl.handle.net/2117/442102 https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.clae.2025.102513 |
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Inglés eng |
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Inglés |
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eng |
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open access http://purl.org/coar/access_right/c_abf2 Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ |
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info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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open access http://purl.org/coar/access_right/c_abf2 Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ |
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openAccess |
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application/pdf |
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reponame:UPCommons. Portal del coneixement obert de la UPC instname:Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) |
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