Quality and readability of online patient education materials for trigeminal Neuralgia: A cross-sectional review
- 1Edinburgh Medical School, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
- 2Department of Neurosurgery, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, the Netherlands
- 3Department of Neurosurgery, Royal Infirmary Edinburgh, NHS Lothian, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
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.
Methods: 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.
Results: 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.
Conclusions: 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.
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BibTeX
@article{teo2026quality,
title = {{Quality and readability of online patient education materials for trigeminal Neuralgia: A cross-sectional review}},
author = {Philbert Yu Xuan Teo and Selnan Wuyep and Andreas K. Demetriades},
journal = {Brain \& Spine},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1016/j.bas.2026.107476},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bas.2026.107476},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Quality and readability of online patient education materials for trigeminal Neuralgia: A cross-sectional review
AU - Philbert Yu Xuan Teo
AU - Selnan Wuyep
AU - Andreas K. Demetriades
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/15
JO - Brain & Spine
DO - 10.1016/j.bas.2026.107476
UR - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bas.2026.107476
AB - 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. Methods: 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. Results: 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. Conclusions: 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.
SN - 2772-5294
ER -