Correction to: A systematic review of internet-based information for individuals with Raynaud's phenomenon and patients with systemic sclerosis.

The authors have identified an error in thier manuscript and have incorrectly referred to the overall DISCERN score for SSc and RP as 2.21 and 1.99, respectively, in the abstract and discussion. The correct DISCERN quality scores are listed in Table 2.

A systematic review of internet-based information for individuals with Raynaud's phenomenon and patients with systemic sclerosis.

INTRODUCTION: Patients are increasingly using internet-based information to inform healthcare utilization and treatment decisions. Our aim was to examine the quality and readability of internet-based information relating to Raynaud's phenomenon (RP) and systemic sclerosis (SSc). MATERIAL AND METHODS: A systematic review of three commonly used search engines (Google®, Yahoo®, and Bing®) using the terms "Raynaud's phenomenon" and "systemic sclerosis" separately. The first 30 websites per search engine were examined. Quality was assessed using the DISCERN questionnaire and readability by the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level, SMOG Index, Coleman-Liau index, and Flesch Reading Ease score. RESULTS: Fifty-two studies (30 RP and 22 SSc) were included after duplicates and exclusion criteria were applied. The overall quality of information was low for both SSc and RP (1.99 & 2.21), including in relation to reliability of the literature and information on treatment choices. Readability for RP and SSc was also poor (i.e., the texts were difficult to read) across all of the four methods examined. CONCLUSION: Overall, RP and SSc internet-based information is of low quality and inadequate readability. The RP and SSc international community should strongly consider developing an information standard for internet-based resources for healthcare users. KEY POINTS: • Patients with SSc and RP are increasingly using internet/online sources of information and support. • RP represents an important opportunity for the early diagnosis of SSc. • The overall quality and readability of internet-based RP and SSc information is poor. • Internet-based RP and SSc information requires improvement to facilitate early diagnosis and inform shared decision-making.

Multicenter Qualitative Study Exploring the Patient Experience of Digital Ulcers in Systemic Sclerosis.

OBJECTIVE: Digital ulcers (DUs) are a major cause of disease-related morbidity and are a difficult-to-treat vascular complication of systemic sclerosis (SSc). Demonstrating treatment efficacy has traditionally focused on clinician assessment of DUs alone. No existing patient-reported outcome (PRO) instrument captures the multifaceted impact of SSc-DU. We report the findings of a multicenter qualitative research study exploring the patient experience of SSc-DU. METHODS: Patient focus groups were conducted across 3 scleroderma units, following a topic guide devised by SSc patients, experts, and experienced qualitative researchers. A purposive sampling framework ensured that the experiences of a diverse group of patients were captured. Focus groups were audio recorded, and information was transcribed, anonymized, and analyzed using inductive thematic analysis. We continued focus groups until thematic saturation was achieved. RESULTS: Twenty-nine SSc patients with a history of DU disease participated in 4 focus groups across the UK (Bath, Manchester, and London). Five major interrelated themes (and subthemes) were identified that encompass the patient experience of SSc-DU: disabling pain and hypersensitivity; deep and broad-ranging emotional impact; impairment of physical and social activity; factors aggravating occurrence, duration, and impact; and mitigating, managing, and adapting. CONCLUSION: The patient experience of SSc-DU is multifaceted and comprises a complex interplay of experiences associated with significant pain and morbidity. Patient experiences of SSc-DU are not captured using existing SSc-DU outcomes. Our findings will inform the development of a novel PRO instrument to assess the severity and impact of SSc-DU for use in future SSc-DU clinical trials.