While online health information can be a resource for patients, patients can't always understand or comprehend the information available, presenting a divide between access and usability.
Findings from a study published in JAMA Surgery regarding online information about pancreatic cancer suggest the information is often written at a "prohibitively high reading level" and also can often be inaccurate.
Researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston compared the accuracy and readability of patient-facing online health information resources for pancreatic cancer. They found the median readability level required at least 13 years of education for full comprehension, a level only 58 percent of American adults have attained.
"These data indicate that online information about pancreatic cancer is geared to more educated groups," said Tara Kent, MD, pancreatic surgeon at BIDMC and senior author. "The general population and vulnerable groups — particularly those with low health literacy — will likely struggle to understand this information."
What's more, researchers found varying degrees of accuracy among information sources, as well as varying degrees of readability. For example, nonprofit organizations' websites were easier to read than media and academic websites. Websites of nonprofit groups, academic groups and the government had the highest accuracy, while alternative therapy websites had the lowest accuracy. Overall, websites with higher accuracy were more difficult to read than those with lower accuracy.
"Dealing with a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer is difficult enough without asking patients to negotiate PhD-level terms," Dr. Kent said in a statement. "The concern here is that available web information may, in fact, be adding to existing barriers to care. If patients don't understand what they're reading, how can they make the best decisions about treatment options?"
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