BACKGROUND
Patients use the Internet to seek guidance on various medical conditions. Cardiovascular diseases (CVD), the leading cause of global mortality, require clear and reliable information for effective patient management. Low health literacy can hinder patients' understanding and participation in their healthcare. Given the lack of regulatory guidelines on the quality of health information on CVD, it is imperative to assess the quality of tools used to evaluate online resources.
OBJECTIVE
The objective of this review is to investigate if and what assessment tools or instruments were used for judging the quality of online patient educational information on CVD.
METHODS
A comprehensive literature search was conducted with PubMed, ERIC, PsycINFO, and Scopus. Primary studies were included if they were published between 2013 and 2023 and focused on evaluating the quality of assessment tools used to evaluate web-based text educational materials on CVD. Title and abstract screening followed by full-text article selection were conducted to select the final set of articles for inclusion.
RESULTS
Of the 22 studies included, 16 articles used assessment tools to evaluate the quality and reliability of CVD online materials; the most popular tool used is DISCERN Instrument followed by HONcode Certification and JAMA Benchmark criteria. The average DISCERN score across the 16 articles is 38.79 (range 15-75), indicating poor quality. Eighteen articles analyzed readability of information, and the most frequently used assessment tool is the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level. The mean reading grade level of the articles was 11.24. Four articles included a tool to assess understandability and actionability, 2 articles assessed accessibility, and 1 article assessed cultural sensitivity.
CONCLUSIONS
Most materials assessed on CVD topics have poor credibility and are written well above the sixth-grade reading level suggested by the American Medical Association (AMA) and the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Content creators and clinicians should employ quality assessment tools prior to publishing to ensure readable, trustworthy information for patients and families.