Readability Analysis of Online Breast Cancer Surgery Patient Education Materials from National Cancer Institute-Designated Cancer Centers Compared with Top Internet Search Results.

BACKGROUND: The National Institutes of Health (NIH) recommends patient education materials reflect the average reading grade level of the US population. Due to the importance of shared decision-making in breast cancer surgery, this study evaluates the reading level of patient education materials from National Cancer Institute-designated cancer centers (NCI-DCC) compared with top Internet search results. METHODS: Online materials from NCI-DCC and top Internet search results on breast cancer, staging, surgical options, and pre- and postoperative expectations were analyzed using three validated readability algorithms: Simplified Measure of Gobbledygook Readability Formula, Coleman-Liau index, and Flesch-Kincaid grade level. Mean readability was compared across source groups and information subcategories using an unpaired t-test with statistical significance set at p < 0.05. Mean readability was compared using a one-way analysis of variance. RESULTS: Mean readability scores from NCI-DCC and Internet groups ranged from a 9th-12th grade level, significantly above the NIH recommended reading level of 6th-7th grade. There was no significant difference between reading levels from the two sources. The discrepancy between actual and recommended reading level was most pronounced for "surgical options" at a 10th-12th grade level from both sources. CONCLUSIONS: Patient education materials on breast cancer from both NCI-DCC and top Internet search results were written several reading grade levels higher than the NIH recommendation. Materials should be revised to enhance patient comprehension of breast cancer surgical treatment and guide patients in this important decision-making process to ultimately improve health outcomes.

Lung Injury Associated with E-Cigarette or Vaping Product Use.

In the United States, an epidemic of unusual and severe lung disease associated with the use of e-cigarettes, or vaping, began in spring 2019. By fall 2019, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had received reports of e-cigarette or vaping product use-associated lung injury (EVALI) cases from all state health departments in the continental US, Hawaii, and the US Virgin Islands. According to the cases, a number of young people had developed severe lung disease characterized by marked shortness of breath and cough. Constitutional and gastrointestinal symptoms are common. Clinical laboratory test results in EVALI are often consistent with nonspecific findings of pulmonary/systemic inflammation. Many reported cases of EVALI have required critical care interventions including noninvasive positive airway pressure, cardiotonic pressors, and intubation/mechanical ventilation. The need for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation support has been reported in some cases. The lung disease is diffuse and has multiple pathologies. Patients are often treated with intravenous or oral corticosteroids with clinical improvement, although the natural history of the disease remains unknown. In rare cases, the outcome is fatal. This article reviews the epidemiology, clinical presentation, radiographic appearance, diagnostic approach, and treatment regimens for patients with vaping-induced lung disease as noted in multiple patients and the current literature. [Pediatr Ann. 2020;49(2):e93-e98.].