Online information on dysmenorrhea: An evaluation of readability, credibility, quality, and usability

Abstract

Aims and Objectives:

To evaluate online information on dysmenorrhea, including readability, credibility, quality, and usability.

Background:

Menstrual pain impacts 45–95% of women of reproductive age globally and is the leading cause of school and work absences among women. Women often seek online information on dysmenorrhea; however, little is known about the information quality.

Design:

This was a descriptive study to evaluate online information on dysmenorrhea.

Methods:

We imitated search strategies of the general public. Specifically, we employed the three most popular search engines worldwide—Google, Yahoo, and Bing, and used lay search terms, “period pain” and “menstrual cramps.” We screened 60 webpages. Following removal of duplicates and irrelevant webpages, 25 met the eligibility criteria. Two team members independently evaluated the included webpages using standardized tools. Readability was evaluated with the Flesch-Kincaid Reading Ease and Flesch-Kincaid Grade formulas; Credibility quality, and usability were evaluated with established tools. We followed the STROBE checklist for reporting this study.

Results:

For readability, the mean Flesh-Kincaid level was 10th grade. For credibility, 8% of webpages referenced scientific literature and 28% stated the author’s name and qualifications. For quality, no webpage employed user-driven content production; 8% of webpages referenced evidence-based guidelines, 32% had accurate content, and 4% of webpages recommended shared decision-making. Most webpages were interactive and included non-textual information. Some non-textual information was inaccurate.

Conclusion:

Online information on dysmenorrhea has generally low readability, mixed credibility, and variable quality.

Relevance to clinical practice:

Strategies to improve health information on dysmenorrhea include avoiding complex terms, incorporating visual aids, presenting evidence-based information, and developing a decision aid to support shared decision-making. Healthcare providers should be aware of the problematic health information that individuals are exposed to and provide education about how to navigate online health information.