Evaluation of online content on proctological disorders in Portuguese language

This study aims to evaluate the suitability of online content on benign proctological disorders. Methods The platforms Google© and YouTube™ were searched using the keywords hemorrhoidal disease, anal fistula, anal fissure, anal pruritus, and fecal incontinence. Each page was analyzed for: interactivity, credibility, readability, and content adequacy. For each video the content, reactions, and comments of the users were analyzed. Three validated scales were applied - Simple Measure of Gobbledygook (SMOG); Suitability Assessment of Materials (SAM), and quality criteria for consumer health information on treatment choices (DISCERN). Results A total of 127 webpages and 113 videos were evaluated. Forty webpages (31.50%) included images and 10 (37.04%) had informative videos. The SMOG scale presented an average value of 9.91±0.94 which estimates the need of 10 years of schooling for comprehension and 64 webpages (52.07%) presented a reading level higher than the recommended B1. The mean SAM score was 39.46±11.2% and the DISCERN scale averaged 40.33±5.69, corresponding to a reasonable content. Only 20 pages (15.75%) included interactivity tools and 44 (34.64%) contained bibliographic references. The videos posted by patients (n=67, 59.2%) had the highest number of views and positive comments whereas health professionals' videos (n=21; 18.75%) had the highest proportion of requests for additional information. Discussion Online content regarding benign proctological disorders is...
Source: Revista Espanola de Enfermedades Digestivas - Category: Gastroenterology Authors: Source Type: research