title: Readability and quality assessment of websites related to microtia and aural atresia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Many parents and children utilize the Internet for health-related information, but the quality of these websites can vary. The objective of this study was to assess the quality and readability of microtia and aural atresia related websites.
  
  
  METHODS
  The search engine Google was queried with the terms 'microtia' and 'aural atresia.' The first 30 results were evaluated, and those websites containing original information written in English were reviewed. Quality of content was assessed with the DISCERN instrument, and readability was assessed with the Flesch-Kincaid Reading Grade Level (FKGL) and the Flesch Reading Ease Score (FRES) tests. Each website was also reviewed for ownership and the date of last update.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Sixteen microtia and 14 aural atresia websites were included for full review. The mean DISCERN score for microtia websites was 54.4 (SD=8.3), and for aural atresia websites it was 47.6 (SD=10.7), which indicates 'good' and 'fair' quality of content, respectively. Readability assessments showed an average reading level requiring a grade 10 education on FKGL, and only one microtia (6.3%) and one aural atresia (7.1%) websites were deemed to be at 'reasonable' reading level on FRES.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  High-quality websites that are considered easily comprehensible to the general public were lacking. Since parents and children may use websites when making treatment decisions, physicians should be aware of the quality of health information pertaining to their area of expertise available on the Internet.
authors.affiliation: IWK Health Centre, Dalhousie Pediatric Craniofacial Group, Department of Surgery, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
authors.forename: Uthman
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Alamoudi
authors.affiliation: IWK Health Centre, Dalhousie Pediatric Craniofacial Group, Department of Surgery, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada; School of Human Communication Disorders, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Electronic address: Paul.Hong@iwk.nshealth.ca.
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Hong
mesh_terms: D032882:Comprehension; D000013:Congenital Abnormalities; D065817:Congenital Microtia; D054626:Consumer Health Information; D004423:Ear / Q000002:abnormalities*; D057220:Health Literacy; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet
keywords: Aural atresia; Health information; Internet; Microtia; Readability; Websites