Internet resources on plantar fasciitis. German-language analysis of the information content of digital sourcess

Background Plantar fasciitis belongs to the most common reasons for a consultation in medical institutions. Websites are assisting health education in this field; however, the quality is sometimes questionable. Objectives The quality of websites thematising plantar fasciitis was evaluated in a descriptive survey regarding content, structure, readability and visual aspects. Information of literature added by score results was used to create a website describing foot diseases. Materials and methods Keywords chosen by Google Ads were searched for in Google, Bing and Yahoo. Search results were analysed according to linguistic scores (EQIP36, 25-Item, Flesch-Kincaid). A third of these score worths were summarized as a total score. An online survey examined three websites with the highest scores. An optimized website was created. Results 137 websites and 37 videos were scored. Arithmetic averages amounted to 72 (EQIP36), 15 (25-Item), 43 (Flesch-Kincaid), 59 (total score). Major websites with the best results in 25-Item were prepared by physicians. Websites of encyclopedias reached the best reading level, whereas those of health insurance funds received the highest values in EQIP36 and the total score. Websites with the lowest total score, EQIP36, 25-Item did not mention any sources. Websites including videos created by the medical sector reached a higher total score and reading levels. The outcome of the survey was slightly worse than the results of the score. Conclusions A lack of high qualified websites regarding foot pain was identified. This information can help producers of websites for digital patient education to improve the inadequate aspects.