Quality and Readability of Online Information on Percutaneous Needle Electrolysis

Alyanak B., Bağcıer F., Yıldızgören M. T.

Journal of Consumer Health on the Internet, cilt.29, sa.1, ss.61-75, 2025 (ESCI, Scopus)

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 29 Sayı: 1
  • Basım Tarihi: 2025
  • Doi Numarası: 10.1080/15398285.2024.2441090
  • Dergi Adı: Journal of Consumer Health on the Internet
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI), Scopus, IBZ Online, CINAHL, Information Science and Technology Abstracts, Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts (LISTA), Public Affairs Index
  • Sayfa Sayıları: ss.61-75
  • Anahtar Kelimeler: Galvanic current, pain, Percutaneous needle electrolysis, quality, readability
  • Sağlık Bilimleri Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

Objective: PNE (Percutaneous needle electrolysis) is a relatively new and effective method used to treat musculoskeletal injuries. The aim of this study was to evaluate PNE-related websites in terms of information quality, readability and content. In addition, this study aimed to identify typologies of websites that provide highly reliable information about PNE. Methods: On April 7, 2024, the term “percutaneous needle electrolysis” was searched on the Google search engine. The categories, quality, content, readability, The Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA) score were used for quality assessment, and the Flesch–Kincaid grade (FKG) and the Simple Measure of Gobbledygook (SMOG) were used for readability assessment. Results: Of the 153 websites, 107 had high-quality content. The quality of professional websites and scientific publishing sites appeared to be high. There was no significant difference in quality between the initial 10 websites and the remaining websites (p =.317). The average readability scores of the websites were not at the recommended level. Conclusion: Most PNE-related websites are of high quality, but do not meet the recommended readability levels. It is important to review existing online content on PNE and create new high quality content that meets the readability recommendations.