Adult tonsillectomy online resources: are patients receiving readable and consistent perioperative information?

Adult tonsillectomy online resources: are patients receiving readable and consistent perioperative information? Aimes: Patients commonly use the Internet to search health related information. Patients may also look for specific recommendations during the time of surgery to help with their recovery at home. The objective of this study was to determine the readability and consistency of patient recommendations pertaining to adult tonsillectomy websites. Material and methods: A cross-sectional study was used to search and evaluate 20 English Language, adult patientdirected tonsillectomy websites. Three validated readability assessment tools were used to measure readability levels. Content analysis was used to evaluate the comprehensiveness and consistency of patient specific recommendations surrounding perioperative tonsillectomy care. Results: The average readability of all websites was at grade 10 level or higher with less than half (35%) of the websites scoring at or below the recommended level of readability for the general public. Many perioperative themes were not present in several websites, and there was substantial variability regarding patient specific recommendations. Conclusion: Majority of websites in this study contained difficult to read content for a layperson with inconsistent information. Healthcare providers should be aware that patients could seek additional information on the Internet, and the readability and quality of websites is suboptimal. Efforts to address this issue may lead to improved health outcomes and perioperative experiences.