BACKGROUND
Hoarseness is a common presentation. It can be a symptom of treatable conditions like laryngitis, vocal overuse, or gastroesophageal reflux, but it can also be symptomatic of laryngeal cancer.
OBJECTIVE
The aim was to identify online website quality information available to the public regarding hoarseness.
METHODS
Search terms including “Loss of voice”,” Voice change”, “Hoarseness”, “Dysphonia”, “Croaky voice”, “Laryngeal cancer”, “Throat cancer”, “Head and neck cancer”, “Nasopharyngeal cancer”, and “Voicebox cancer” were used. Quality of information was assessed with the Ensuring Quality Information for Patient (EQIP) tool, Flesch Reading Ease Score (FRES), Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL), and Gunning-Fog Index (GFI) readability tools.
RESULTS
100 websites were included, overall mean EQIP score 22, with an interquartile range 10 and maximum score 33. 70% did not mention safety netting advice and only 21% mentioned to seek medical advice from healthcare professionals if symptoms remain. Only 27% achieved the recommended 6th grade or below readability level.
CONCLUSIONS
The online information on hoarseness is of reasonable quality, but potentially not readable enough for demographics with lower educational attainment.