Modern Digital Query Analytics of Patient Education Materials on Acanthosis Nigricans: Systematic Search and Content Analysis

Abstract BackgroundOnline digital materials are integral to patient education and health care outcomes in dermatology. Acanthosis nigricans (AN) is a common condition, often associated with underlying diseases such as insulin resistance. Patients frequently search the internet...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Kevin Johny Varghese, Som Singh, Emily Kamali, Fahad Qureshi, Aleena Jamal, Fawad Qureshi
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: JMIR Publications 2025-01-01
Series:JMIR Dermatology
Online Access:https://derma.jmir.org/2025/1/e60210
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Summary:Abstract BackgroundOnline digital materials are integral to patient education and health care outcomes in dermatology. Acanthosis nigricans (AN) is a common condition, often associated with underlying diseases such as insulin resistance. Patients frequently search the internet for information related to this cutaneous finding. To our knowledge, the quality of online educational materials for AN has not been systematically examined. ObjectiveThe primary objective of this study was to profile the readability and quality of the content of publicly available digital educational materials on AN and identify questions frequently asked by patients. MethodsThis study analyzed publicly available internet sources to identify the most frequent questions searched by patients regarding AN using the Google Rankbrain algorithm. Furthermore, available articles on AN were evaluated for quality and reading level using metrics such as the Brief DISCERN score, and readability was determined using three specific scales including the Flesch-Kincaid score, Gunning Fog index, and the Coleman-Liau index, based on literature. ResultsPatients most frequently accessed facts on AN from government sources, which comprised 30% (n=15) of the analyzed sources. The available articles did not meet quality standards and were at a reading level not appropriate for the general public. The majority of articles (n=29/50, 58%) had substandard Brief DISCERN scores, failing to meet the criteria for good quality ConclusionsClinicians should be aware of the paucity of valuable online educational material on AN and educate their patients accordingly.
ISSN:2562-0959