Assessment of the quality and readability of online information on autopsy for the general public: a cross-sectional analysis.

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

Hospital (consented) autopsy rates have dropped precipitously in recent decades. Online medical information is now a common resource used by the general public. Given clinician reluctance to request hospital postmortem examinations, we assessed whether healthcare users have access to high quality, readable autopsy information online.

Design

A cross-sectional analysis of 400 webpages. Readability was determined using the Flesch-Kincaid score, grade level and Coleman-Liau Index. Authorship, DISCERN score and Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) criteria were applied by two independent observers. Health on the net code of conduct (HON-code) certification was also assessed. Sixty-five webpages were included in the final analysis.

Results

Th

SUBMITTER: Hanley B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6549648 | biostudies-literature | 2019 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature