Readability, quality, and reliability of online informational texts about ear tubes

Öz

Aim: The aim of this study is to evaluate the readability level and content quality of health information on Turkish internet websites about “Ear Tubes.” Considering that this procedure is frequently performed in young children, the study particularly aims to identify the challenges parents face in understanding online information and to assess the reliability of the available resources. Method: In August 2025, the first 100 internet websites retrieved through a “Google” search using the keyword “Kulak Tüpü” (Ear Tube) were analyzed. Internet websites were classified by source type and assessed with the Ateşman and Çetinkaya-Uzun readability formulas. In addition, the DISCERN instrument was used to calculate reliability, information quality, and overall quality scores. The presence of otolaryngologist authorship, academic affiliation, and references was also evaluated. Results: Among the reviewed internet websites, 59% were personal, 29% hospital-based, 8% newspapers, and 4% company-sponsored. Of the contents, 66% were prepared by ENT specialists, and 67% had academic affiliation. Overall readability levels were found to be “moderately difficult,” corresponding to an 8th–9th grade reading level (Ateşman p=0.284; Çetinkaya p=0.159). The mean DISCERN score was 51.9, indicating a “good” level of quality. Significant differences were observed by source type; newspaper, personal, and hospital internet websites scored significantly higher than company internet websites. Surprisingly, newspaper articles showed higher reliability (p=0.009) and information quality (p=0.015) scores. Content with references had significantly higher reliability (p=0.006), information quality (p=0.042), and total DISCERN (p=0.016) scores. ENT specialist–based content was superior in terms of information quality (p=0.001), overall quality (p=0.008), and total DISCERN (p=0.006). Similarly, content with academic affiliation showed significantly higher information quality (p=0.001), overall quality (p=0.012), and total DISCERN (p=0.009) scores. Conclusion: Turkish internet websites on ear tube–related content generally have moderate readability and “good” overall quality. However, further simplification is required to ensure compliance with international standards. Findings reveal an inconsistent distribution of quality across online health resources and highlight that parents face considerable barriers in accessing reliable and comprehensible information. The results further suggest that physicians should play an active role in bridging the online information gap by providing patients with trustworthy and accessible health information.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Digital content
• ear tubes
• health literacy
• readability

Kulak tüpü hakkında çevrim içi bilgilendirme metinlerinin okunabilirlik, kalite ve güvenilirliği

Öz

Amaç: Bu çalışmanın amacı, “Kulak Tüpü” hakkında Türkçe internet sitelerindeki sağlık bilgilerinin okunabilirlik düzeyini ve içerik kalitesini değerlendirmektir. Özellikle küçük çocuklara uygulanan bu yöntem için ebeveynlerin çevrim içi bilgilere erişimde karşılaştıkları okuduğunu anlama sorunlarını ve bilgi güvenilirliğini ortaya koymak hedeflenmiştir. Yöntem: “Google” arama motorunda Ağustos 2025’te “Kulak Tüpü” anahtar kelimesiyle ulaşılan ilk 100 internet sitesi incelenmiştir. Kaynak türüne göre sınıflandırılan siteler, Ateşman ve Çetinkaya-Uzun okunabilirlik formülleri ile analiz edilmiştir. Ayrıca DISCERN ölçeği kullanılarak güvenilirlik, bilgi kalitesi ve genel kalite puanları hesaplanmıştır. Sitelerin KBB uzmanı temelli olup olmaması, akademik afiliasyon durumu ve referans kullanımı da değerlendirilmiştir. Bulgular: İncelenen sitelerin %59’u kişisel, %29’u hastane, %8’i gazete ve %4’ü firma kaynaklıydı. İçeriklerin %66’sı KBB uzmanı tarafından hazırlanmış, %67’sinde akademik afiliasyon mevcuttu. Okunabilirlik düzeyi tüm gruplarda “orta güçlükte” bulunmuş ve 8–9. sınıf eğitim seviyesine karşılık gelmiştir (Ateşman p=0.284; Çetinkaya p=0.159). DISCERN toplam puanı 51.9 ile “iyi” seviyede saptanmıştır. Kaynak türüne göre farklılıklar belirlenmiş; gazete, kişisel ve hastane siteleri firma sitelerine kıyasla anlamlı derecede daha yüksek puanlar almıştır. Özellikle gazete haberlerinin beklenmedik biçimde daha yüksek güvenilirlik (p=0.009) ve bilgi kalitesi (p=0.015) puanına sahip olduğu görülmüştür. Referans içeren içeriklerde güvenilirlik (p=0.006), bilgi kalitesi (p=0.042) ve toplam DISCERN (p=0.016) puanları anlamlı düzeyde daha yüksektir. KBB temelli içerikler bilgi kalitesi (p=0.001), genel kalite (p=0.008) ve toplam DISCERN (p=0.006) açısından üstün bulunmuştur. Akademik afiliasyonu olan içeriklerde bilgi kalitesi (p=0.001), genel kalite (p=0.012) ve toplam DISCERN (p=0.009) puanları bakımından anlamlı düzeyde daha yüksek sonuç vermiştir. Sonuç: Türkçe internet sitelerindeki kulak tüpü içerikleri genel olarak orta düzeyde okunabilirliğe ve “iyi” düzeyde kaliteye sahiptir. Ancak uluslararası standartlarla uyumlu hale gelebilmesi için ek sadeleştirmelere ihtiyaç duyulmaktadır. Bulgular, internet sitelerindeki sağlık içeriklerinin kalite açısından tutarsız bir dağılım gösterdiğini ve ebeveynlerin güvenilir ve anlaşılır bilgiye ulaşma sürecinde önemli engellerle karşılaştığını ortaya koymaktadır. Ayrıca, hekimlerin süreçte aktif rol alarak çevrim içi bilgi boşluğunu dengelemeleri ve hastalara güvenilir, anlaşılır bilgilendirme sağlamaları gerektiği sonucuna ulaşılmıştır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Dijital içerikler
• kulak tüpü
• okunabilirlik
• sağlık okuryazarlığı

Kaynakça

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