A Dose of Clarity: Decoding the Readability of Online Resources on Steroid Knee Injections

Abstract

This study evaluates the readability and quality of online resources on steroid knee injections. Online materials were identified using Google, Bing, and Yahoo with the search terms steroid knee injection, corticosteroid knee injection, and knee injection treatment. Of 150 screened web pages, 57 met inclusion criteria. Quality was assessed using the DISCERN instrument and Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) benchmark, while readability was measured using the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL) and Simple Measure of Gobbledygook (SMOG). Health On the Net Foundation Code of Conduct certification status was recorded. The mean DISCERN score was 42.47 ± 17.06, and the Journal of the American Medical Association score was 1.58 ± 1.52, indicating low quality. Readability analysis showed an FKGL score of 9.19 ± 2.08 and an SMOG score of 8.20 ± 5.23, suggesting most materials require advanced literacy. For-profit web pages had lower quality but were easier to read, whereas nonprofit and academic sites provided higher quality but more complex content. Most web pages offer low-quality, difficult-to-understand information. Patients should seek reliable sources, and oversight is needed to improve quality and accessibility.