Readability Assessment: Are Online Dysphonia Resources Comprehensible?

Objective: To evaluate the readability of online patient education materials (PEMs) related to dysphonia.Materials and Methods: Using the Google search engine, the first 50 English-language websites retrieved with the keyword “dysphonia” were screened. After exclusions, 33 websites were analyzed and categorized as general or health professional websites. Readability was assessed using six validated tools: Flesch Reading Ease (FRE), Flesch–Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL), Gunning Fog Index (GFI), Simple Measure of Gobbledygook (SMOG), Coleman–Liau Index (CLI), and Automated Readability Index (ARI). Statistical comparisons were performed using the Kruskal–Wallis test.Results: The overall scores were: FRE 43.58±15.85, FKGL 12.08±3.29, GFI 14.64±3.42, SMOG 11.12±2.53, CLI 13.88±1.92, and ARI 12.18±3.62. No significant differences were found between general (n=13) and health professional (n=20) websites across all indices (p>0.05).Conclusion: Dysphonia-related PEMs are written at levels exceeding the sixth-grade readability standard recommended for patient education. Efforts to simplify online materials are needed to enhance patient comprehension and engagement.