Reading Between the Tabloids: An Objective Analysis of the Quality and Readability of Patient Encountered Online Material for Face Transplantation

Face transplantation is a highly sensationalized procedure in the media. The purpose of this study is to assess the content and readability of online materials that prospective patients/public encounter regarding face transplantation. A search for face transplantation was performed on Google. Sites were categorized under 3 groups: established face transplant programs, informational third-party sources (eg, Wikipedia), and news article/tabloid sites. Each site was assessed for readability using 6 different readability metrics, while quality was assessed utilizing JAMA benchmark criteria and DISCERN instrument. One-way ANOVA with post hoc Tukey's multiple comparisons test was used for analysis. News sources were significantly easier to read than face transplant program sites (10.4 grade reading level vs. 12.4). For the JAMA benchmark, face transplant programs demonstrated the lowest average score relative to third-party sites, and news sources (2.05 vs. 2.91 vs. 3.67, respectively; P <0.001), but had significantly greater DISCERN scores than news sources (53.50 vs. 45.83, P =0.019). News sources were significantly more accessible, readable, and offered greater transparency of authorship compared with reputable sources, despite their lack of expertise on face transplantation. Face transplant programs should update their websites to ensure readability and accessibility of the information provided to the public.