15 research outputs found
Online Information on Dysmenorrhea: An Evaluation of Readability, Credibility, Quality, and Usability
Aims and objectives
To evaluate online information on dysmenorrhoea, including readability, credibility, quality and usability.
Background
Menstrual pain impacts 45%â95% of women of reproductive age globally and is the leading cause of school and work absences among women. Women often seek online information on dysmenorrhoea; however, little is known about the information quality.
Design
This was a descriptive study to evaluate online information on dysmenorrhoea.
Methods
We imitated search strategies of the general public. Specifically, we employed the three most popular search engines worldwideâGoogle, Yahoo and Bingâand used lay search terms, âperiod painâ and âmenstrual cramps.â We screened 60 web pages. Following removal of duplicates and irrelevant web pages, 25 met the eligibility criteria. Two team members independently evaluated the included web pages using standardised tools. Readability was evaluated with the FleschâKincaid Reading Ease and FleschâKincaid 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 FleschâKincaid level was 10th grade. For credibility, 8% of web pages referenced scientific literature and 28% stated the author's name and qualifications. For quality, no web page employed userâdriven content production; 8% of web pages referenced evidenceâbased guidelines, 32% of web pages had accurate content, and 4% of web pages recommended shared decisionâmaking. Most web pages were interactive and included nontextual information. Some nontextual information was inaccurate.
Conclusion
Online information on dysmenorrhoea has generally low readability, mixed credibility and variable quality.
Relevance to clinical practice
Strategies to improve health information on dysmenorrhoea include avoiding complex terms, incorporating visual aids, presenting evidenceâbased information and developing a decision aid to support shared decisionâmaking. 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
Dear Friend: Letters from Elizabeth Ott to Alton Easton
This is the culmination of a class project created by students in Dr. Elizabeth Fleitz\u27s English 36500: Digital Humanities course during Fall semester 2020.
This site collects the letters of Elizabeth Ott, Lindenwood College teacher, written to her fiancé Alton Easton, in 1847-1848. Her letters are long, chatty, and give insight on people and events in the St. Charles area at the time, as well as illuminate the personality of Ott herself. We have transcribed each of these letters, and briefly summarize and annotate them to guide the reader in their exploration