A critical analysis of online patient-directed resources on catheter ablation for ventricular arrhythmias

Abstract

Background

Patients search online content to improve their understanding of medical procedures. The quality of online patient education materials (OPEMs) on catheter ablation of ventricular arrhythmias (VAs) requires investigation.

Methods

Six predetermined search terms relating to VA ablation were used to search Google, Bing and Yahoo for written OPEMs, and YouTube for video OPEMs. Written OPEMs were assessed for readability using five readability indices to produce a required reading grade level, and quality using the DISCERN and Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) instruments. Video OPEMs were assessed for quality according to compliance with a list of investigator-developed essential discussion points.

Results

1200 written and 480 videos were identified using the search strategy, of which 60 and 25 respectively were unique OPEMs included in this study. The mean reading grade level for written OPEMs was 11.3 ± 1.9, with no articles being written at the 6th grade level recommended by the American Medical Association. Using quality metrics, only 26.7% of written OPEMs attained a ‘high-quality’ JAMA rating, and 30% had a DISCERN score of ‘good’ or better. Video OPEMs similarly had poor quality, only discussing a mean of 3.50 ± 2.57 out of 18 total essential criteria.

Conclusion

There is a paucity of online patient-directed materials on VA catheter ablation. Available OPEMs are of insufficient quality to adequately convey essential information, and written OPEMs are written at a level higher than the recommended reading level.