Quality and readability of English-language internet information for adults with hearing impairment and their significant others.
OBJECTIVE
This study evaluated the quality and readability of English-language internet information for adults with hearing impairment and their significant others.


METHODS
Two keyword pairs (hearing loss and hearing aids) were entered into five country-specific versions of the most commonly used internet search engine in May 2011.


METHODS
For each of the 10 searches, the first 10 relevant websites were included. After removing duplicates, a total of 66 websites were assessed. Their origin (commercial, non-profit organization, or government), date of last update, quality (Health On the Net (HON) certification and DISCERN scores), and readability (Flesch Reading Ease Score, Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level Formula, and Simple Measure Of Gobbledygook) were assessed.


RESULTS
Most websites were of commercial origin and had been updated within the last 18 months. Their quality and readability was highly variable. Only 14% of the websites had HON certification. Websites that were of non-profit organization origin had significantly higher DISCERN scores. Readability measures show that on average, only people with at least 11-12 years of education could read and understand the internet information presented.


CONCLUSIONS
Based on these results, this article provides a list of recommendations for website developers and clinicians wishing to incorporate internet information into their practice.
Department of Behavioural Sciences and Learning, Swedish Institute for Disability Research, Linköping University, Sweden. arl@eriksholm.com
Ariane
A
Laplante-Lévesque
K Jonas
KJ
Brännström
Gerhard
G
Andersson
Thomas
T
Lunner
D000465:Algorithms; D032882:Comprehension; D006266:Health Education / Q000592:standards*; D006310:Hearing Aids; D034381:Hearing Loss; D020407:Internet / Q000592:standards*