Evaluation of online, publicly available cancer-related educational and self-management resources for symptom management

Objective The aims of this study were to evaluate the readability, suitability, and quality of publicly available online self-management (SM) resources for people with cancer. Methods Resources were identified using two strategies: (1) a targeted search of 20 Canadian organizations and (2) a Google search. These were evaluated using the Suitability Assessment of Materials (SAM), the DISCERN tool for quality, and readability indices. The SM skills (e.g., problem-solving) and symptom management strategies addressed by each resource were also assessed. Descriptive and hierarchical cluster analyses were performed to identify resources of the highest suitability and quality as well as resource characteristics associated with higher quality and suitability. Results A total of 92 resources were evaluated. The mean reading grade level for English resources was 10.29 (SD = 1.64, range of 7.05 to 15.09) and 12.62 for French resources (SD = 2.27, range of 10.12 to 15.65). The mean SAM score across the sample was 50.4% (SD = 10.6%), or 'adequate', and the mean DISCERN score was 61.1% (SD = 11.8%), or 'fair'. The cluster analysis indicated that 10 resources scored highly on both the SAM and the DISCERN. In total, 91 symptom management strategies were identified. On average, resources addressed 2.73 SM skills (SD = 1.58). Conclusions There is a need for plain language resources for people with lower reading ability and resources that incorporate more SM skills. Study findings will help healthcare professionals, patients, and their families identify optimal resources to address cancer-related symptoms.