Readability, coherence, and content analysis of online hidradenitis suppurativa patient resources

Increasingly, people are seeking health-related information online, and patient-oriented websites offer tremendous potential to educate and empower people. However, concerns have been raised about the quality of online patient resources as the internet is largely unregulated. This study assessed the text readability, coherence, and content of online resources for those with the chronic skin condition hidradenitis suppurativa (HS). This research evaluated online interest in HS using search engine analytics. The popular HS websites were assessed for text readability and coherence. The word counts, proportion of polysyllabic terms, average sentence length, and use of images and videos were also analysed. Recently, there has been a large increase in HS-related online search activity and in the volume of online HS content. The 21 websites analysed were all written above recommended readability levels. One readability formula significantly overestimated readability. Most of the websites’ coherence levels were appropriate. There was variation in the relevance, timeliness and presentation of the information on the HS sites. The information on many top-ranking HS websites may be too difficult for the intended audience to understand. Content creators should consult published guidelines on improving the comprehensibility of online health information for HS website revisions and future sites.