Assessing Quality of Online Educational Resources for Gastric Adenocarcinoma Patients
Overview
This study evaluated 37 online resources for gastric adenocarcinoma patients, finding that while most materials were understandable, they often lacked actionability, were written above recommended reading levels, and had limited coverage of long-term management. No significant quality differences were observed across website affiliations or search rankings.
Background
Gastric adenocarcinoma is a common and deadly form of stomach cancer with poor prognosis and limited survival rates. Patients increasingly rely on online resources for health information, but the quality, readability, and comprehensiveness of these materials vary widely. Ensuring patient education materials are accessible and actionable is critical to support informed decision-making and improve treatment adherence. National guidelines recommend patient materials be written at a sixth-grade reading level to maximize comprehension.
Data Highlights
Metric
Mean Score
Standard Deviation
Threshold/Notes
DISCERN Quality Score
3.62
1.21
No significant differences by affiliation or search rank
PEMAT-P Understandability (%)
78.38
11.86
35/37 websites >70% threshold
PEMAT-P Actionability (%)
57.66
37.69
14/37 websites >70% threshold
Flesch-Kincaid Reading Ease
51.88
8.93
Corresponds to 10th–12th grade reading level (above recommended 6th grade)
Comprehensiveness (%)
62.98
23.23
Over 85% covered epidemiology, risk factors, symptoms; under 30% covered post-treatment complications or surveillance
Key Findings
Mean quality score (DISCERN) was moderate at 3.62 with no significant variation by website type or search position.
Most websites (35/37) met recommended understandability thresholds (>70%), indicating generally clear information.
Only 14 websites exceeded the actionability threshold, highlighting limited guidance on next steps for patients.
Readability was consistently above recommended levels, averaging a 10th–12th grade reading level, potentially limiting accessibility.
Comprehensiveness was moderate overall, with strong coverage of epidemiology and symptoms but poor inclusion of long-term management topics like post-treatment complications and surveillance.
Clinical Implications
Clinicians should be aware that while online gastric cancer resources are generally understandable, they often lack actionable guidance and are written at reading levels too advanced for many patients. This may hinder patient empowerment and informed decision-making. Healthcare providers should consider supplementing online information with tailored education and advocate for development of more accessible, comprehensive, and actionable patient materials.
Conclusion
Online educational resources for gastric adenocarcinoma patients provide understandable but insufficiently actionable and overly complex information, with gaps in long-term management content. Improving readability, actionability, and comprehensiveness of these materials is essential to better support patient education and engagement.
Related Resources & Content
Study Authors/2024 -- Assessing the Quality of Online Educational Resources for Patients with Gastric Adenocarcinoma
