title: Quality and readability assessment of websites related to recurrent respiratory papillomatosis.
abstract: Recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (RRP) is a rare disease for which a limited number of information sources for patients exist. The role of the Internet in the patient-physician relationship is increasing. More and more patients search for online health information, which should be of good quality and easy readable. The study aim was to investigate the quality and readability of English online health information about RRP.
  
  
  
  Quality and readability assessment of online information.
  
  
  
  Relevant information was collected using three different search engines and seven different search terms. Quality was assessed with the DISCERN instrument. The Flesch Reading Ease Score (FRES) and average grade level (AGL) were determined to measure readability of the English websites.
  
  
  
  Fifty-one English websites were included. The mean DISCERN score of the websites is 28.1 ± 9.7 (poor quality); the mean FRES is 41.3 ± 14.9 (difficult to read); and the mean AGL is 12.6 ± 2.3.
  
  
  
  The quality and readability of English websites about RRP is alarmingly poor.
  
  
  
  NA. Laryngoscope, 127:2293-2297, 2017.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology/Head & Neck Surgery, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.|Graduate School of Medical Sciences (Cancer Research Center Groningen), Groningen, The Netherlands.|Groningen Papilloma Studies, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Michel R M
authors.initials: MRM
authors.lastname: San Giorgi
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology/Head & Neck Surgery, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Olivier S D
authors.initials: OSD
authors.lastname: de Groot
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology/Head & Neck Surgery, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.|Graduate School of Medical Sciences (Cancer Research Center Groningen), Groningen, The Netherlands.|Groningen Papilloma Studies, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.|Department of Otorhinolaryngology/Head & Neck Surgery, University of Amsterdam, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Frederik G
authors.initials: FG
authors.lastname: Dikkers
mesh_terms: D032882:Comprehension; D054626:Consumer Health Information / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D030361:Papillomavirus Infections / Q000628:therapy*; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care / Q000379:methods*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000628:therapy*; D057386:Search Engine / Q000592:standards*
keywords: Recurrent respiratory papillomatosis; information; online; quality; readability