Readability and quality of online resources on prolotherapy

Authors : Dilara Ekici Zincirci

Pages : 4-11

Doi:10.21673/anadoluklin.1497827

View : 97 | Download : 229

Publication Date : 2026-01-24

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :Aim: Prolotherapy is one of the regenerative treatments used in the treatment of musculoskeletal pain. This study aims to evaluate the readability; quality; and content of online resources related to prolotherapy. Methods: The term ‘prolotherapy’ was searched using the Google search engine; and the first 125 websites were included. The quality of the websites included in the study was assessed using the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) score. The readability of the sources was assessed using Flesch-Kincaid (FK) reading ease; FK level; and Simple Measure of Gobbledygook (SMOG). Results: Of the 100 websites included; 29% were classified as high quality (JAMA≥3). JAMA scores differed significantly by website typology (p 0.05); however; the Top 10 websites had lower FKG and SMOG grade-level indices (p=0.015 and p=0.029); while the difference in FRE was not significant (p=0.071). Although a definition of prolotherapy was provided on all websites; the rates of reporting composition; indications; and complications did not differ by website typology (all p≥0.243). By quality group; high-quality websites more frequently reported composition (p=0.006) and complications (p=0.002); whereas reporting of indications was similar (p=0.300). Conclusion: We found that the majority of websites sharing information about prolotherapy were of poor quality and difficult to read. Notably; the first ten websites that were easily accessible to patients were of a higher quality and easier to read. Government-supported websites were found to be of high quality and easy to read. It seems that public institutions need to play a more active role in providing online information resources.
Keywords : Çevrim içi sistemler, kalite kontrolü, okunabilirlik, proloterapi

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