An assessment of online information related to surgical obstructive sleep apnea treatment

Abstract Background Patients are accessing online health information frequently and using it to guide treatment decisions. Few studies have been done assessing obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) information, and no studies have examined surgical resources for these patients. Methods This was a cross-sectional analysis. “Sleep surgery” and “sleep apnea surgery” were entered into Google, MSN Bing, and Yahoo! search engines. The first 25 results of each individual search were evaluated. Each unique site was assessed for content quality, accessibility, usability, reliability, and readability using validated instruments. The date of last update for each site was also documented. Results “Sleep surgery” was searched for an average of 1,703,991 (SD = 166,585) times per month from June 2015 to June 2016. 33 unique websites were identified. Sites were most often academically/government affiliated (10/33, 30.3%), health information sites (8/33, 24.2%), or non-profit/hospital related (8/33, 24.2%). The mean overall DISCERN score for quality was “good,” at 56.6 (range, 22–79). The mean overall LIDA score for accessibility, usability, and reliability was “moderate,” at 123.9 (range, 97–152). The mean Flesch Reading Ease score for readability was 49.77 (range 22.7-74.3); 7/33 (21.2%) scored above 60, the recommended range for average visitors. 60.6% (20/33) of the sites had been updated since January 1, 2014. There was no significant correlation between a websites’ position on a browser’s search and its DISCERN, LIDA, FRE, or total score. Conclusions With patients’ increasing reliance on Internet information, efforts to understand and improve websites’ quality and usefulness present unique opportunities in OSA surgery and beyond.