{
  "abstract": "Background/objectives: Patients with trigeminal neuralgia frequently seek online information about symptoms, diagnosis and treatment options. Previous work has identified weaknesses in the quality of online trigeminal neuralgia information and high estimated reading demands. This study evaluated the quality and readability of online patient education materials on trigeminal neuralgia.\n\nMethods: Google was searched for the term “trigeminal neuralgia,” and the first 30 results were screened, assessing the linked webpage rather than the parent website. English-language, freely accessible, patient-facing webpages were included. Two reviewers independently assessed quality using the DISCERN instrument, and item-level scores were averaged for analysis. Readability was assessed using standard readability formulae from ReadabilityFormulas.com after removal of non-educational webpage content.\n\nResults: Of 30 screened results, 22 webpages were included. Included webpages comprised 10 general health information sites and 12 healthcare provider sites. The mean Total DISCERN score across reviewers was 49.32 ± 9.43, and the mean overall DISCERN rating was 3.30 ± 0.70. The lowest mean item scores concerned the consequences of no treatment (1.61), effects on quality of life (1.77), and clarity of evidence sources (2.14). The mean average reading level consensus was 10.93 ± 1.49, with 21 webpages (95.5%) exceeding grade 8 by this measure and none at or below grade 6.\n\nConclusions: The sampled online patient education materials on trigeminal neuralgia were commonly written above recommended reading levels and varied in DISCERN-assessed information quality. Clinicians should be aware that patients may encounter resources that are difficult to read or incomplete. Clinical accuracy, patient comprehension, and effects on treatment decisions were not assessed.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Edinburgh Medical School, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom",
    "Department of Neurosurgery, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, the Netherlands",
    "Department of Neurosurgery, Royal Infirmary Edinburgh, NHS Lothian, Edinburgh, United Kingdom"
  ],
  "article_type": "research article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 3,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Philbert Yu Xuan Teo"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Selnan Wuyep"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1,
        2
      ],
      "name": "Andreas K. Demetriades"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/d0w8kh995gaz4.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1016/j.bas.2026.107476",
  "fulltext_url": "https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13722558/",
  "id": "d0w8kh995gaz4",
  "issns": [
    "2772-5294"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bas.2026.107476",
  "language": "en",
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "heading",
      "Article"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "3600|Health Literacy and Information Accessibility"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7222059627",
  "pdf_url": null,
  "pmcid": "PMC13722558",
  "pmid": "42966981",
  "published": "2026-10-15",
  "publisher": "Elsevier",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/d0w8kh995gaz4.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-04T12:21:21Z",
      "native_id": "PMC13722558",
      "source": "pmc",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bas.2026.107476"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "journal-openalex:F27",
      "subfield": "general"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Quality and readability of online patient education materials for trigeminal Neuralgia: A cross-sectional review",
  "title_text": "Quality and readability of online patient education materials for trigeminal Neuralgia: A cross-sectional review",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-04T12:21:21Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/d0w8kh995gaz4",
  "venue": "Brain & Spine",
  "versions": []
}