Breaking the Ice: Are Online Patient Educational Materials on Breast Cryoablation Readable and Understandable?

Objective: Online patient education materials (OPEMs) provide valuable information on breast-related conditions and treatment options. We evaluated commonly accessed OPEMs related to breast cryoablation to assess the readability, understandability, and actionability metrics of educational materials available to patients.

Methods: Using Google, the terms "breast cryoablation," "breast cryosurgery," and "breast cryotherapy" were queried. The top 50 websites providing OPEMs for the general public were identified by search ranking. A virtual private network was used, and location tracking, cookies, and user account information were disabled before querying. Sponsored content and research journal articles were excluded. Websites were categorized as academic/hospital, commercial, or nonprofit based on the hosting organization. Online patient education materials from the top 50 sites were downloaded and assessed for readability, understandability, and actionability. Mixed modeling, with sources nested within readability scores (automated readability, Coleman-Liau, Flesch-Kincaid, Gunning Fog, and Simple Measure of Gobbledygook), was used to evaluate these metrics.

Results: Among 52 websites, the overall mean grade-level readability was 12.3 (95% CI, 11.1-13.6). Academic/hospital sites had the lowest readability at 11.8, followed by nonprofit at 12.4 and commercial at 12.7 (P = .03). The mean understandability score was 71%, with academic/hospital sites at 81%, commercial at 73%, and nonprofit at 25%. Only 2 websites-Serenity Surgery and Cleveland Clinic-demonstrated actionability. Overall actionability was 18.5% (95% CI, 7.5%-38.9%), with 24 websites scoring 0% for actionability.

Conclusion: Current OPEMs concerning breast cryoablation fall short of the American Medical Association's recommendations for health literacy, averaging twice that level. Additionally, there is significant variability in the materials' understandability and actionability.