EP920 - Lost in a Sea of Symptoms: Navigating Online Hemorrhoid Information Available for Patients

Tuesday, May 13, 2025

8:27 AM – 8:32 AM PT

ePoster Presenter(s)

Andrew Hu, MD

Mark Kusek Colorectal Research Fellow
UMass Chan Medical School
Worcester, MA, United States

All of the relevant financial relationships listed below have been mitigated.
This individual has no financial relationships with ineligible companies.

Author(s)

Benjamin Gallant, MD

Resident
UMass Chan Medical School
Leicester, MA, United States

All of the relevant financial relationships listed below have been mitigated.
This individual has no financial relationships with ineligible companies.
KO

Kaitlyn Oldewurtel, D.O.

Physician
UMass Memorial
Worcester, Massachusetts, United States

All of the relevant financial relationships listed below have been mitigated.
This individual has no financial relationships with ineligible companies.
CB

Catherine Beauharnais, MD, MPH, MS

Surgery Resident
UMASS Chan Medical School, UMASS Memorial Health
Worcester, Massachusetts, United States

Disclosure information not submitted.
Justin A. Maykel, MD (he/him/his)

Chief, Division of Colorectal Surgery
UMass Memorial Medical Center
UMass Chan Medical
Worcester, Massachusetts, United States

All of the relevant financial relationships listed below have been mitigated.
This individual has no relevant relationships with ineligible companies.
TA

Tess H. Aulet, MD

Colorectal Surgeon
UMass Memorial
Worcester, Massachusetts, United States

Disclosure information not submitted.
PS

Paul R. Sturrock, MD

Assistant Professor of Surgery
UMass Memorial Medical Center
Worcester, Massachusetts, United States

Disclosure information not submitted.
TP

Thomas Peponis, MD

Colon and Rectal Surgeon, Assistant Professor of Surgery
University of Massachusetts
Worcester, Massachusetts, United States

All of the relevant financial relationships listed below have been mitigated.
This individual has no financial relationships with ineligible companies.

Senior Author(s)

Karim Alavi, MD, MPH

Colon and Rectal Surgeon
UMass Chan Medical School
Worcester, Massachusetts, United States

Disclosure information not submitted.

All of the relevant financial relationships listed below have been mitigated.

Andrew Hu, MD: This individual has no financial relationships with ineligible companies.

Benjamin Gallant, MD: This individual has no financial relationships with ineligible companies.

Kaitlyn Oldewurtel, D.O.: This individual has no financial relationships with ineligible companies.

Justin A. Maykel, MD: This individual has no relevant relationships with ineligible companies.

Thomas Peponis, MD: This individual has no financial relationships with ineligible companies.

Image or Table (Do Not add text here):

Purpose/Background: Symptomatic hemorrhoids make up a large proportion of anorectal referrals. As the majority of cases are managed nonoperatively, patient education is a key component of treatment. Furthermore, patients search the internet to self-diagnose and treat, often prior to seeking medical evaluation. This study aims to evaluate the scope, quality, readability, and comprehensibility of online health information related to hemorrhoid disease.

Methods/Interventions: The terms “Hemorrhoids,” “Hemorrhoid Symptoms,” “Hemorrhoid Pain,” “Hemorrhoid Treatment,” and “Surgery for Hemorrhoids” were searched using the Google search engine. The first 50 websites for each search term were reviewed. Popularity among the search terms was determined using both overall “hits” and relative search volume (RSV) on Google Trends. Included websites did not have a password requirement, were in English, were free to access, and were not sponsored links. Quality assessments were performed using Average Reading Level Consensus Calculator readability scores and the DISCERN instrument. The Average Reading Level Consensus Calculator averages the reading level of a website through 8 validated readability formulas. The DISCERN instrument is a validated questionnaire to evaluate the quality of written health information.

Results/Outcomes: After exclusion, a total of 192 links were included in the study. The most popular search term was “Hemorrhoids” with a Relative Search Volume (RSV) of 91.7 over a 12-month period. The least popular term was “Surgery for Hemorrhoids” with an RSV of 58.5. The majority of websites were affiliated with professional organizations (.org). The most common grade levels for readability was 9th and 10th grade, while the highest average DISCERN score was search term “Hemorrhoids” with a score of 49. The lowest median DISCERN scores were for “Hemorrhoid Symptoms” with a score of 45.

Conclusion/Discussion: Despite yielding over 10 million results on hemorrhoids, the overall quality of information has been rated as "Fair," with DISCERN scores ranging from 39 to 50. Most available content is written at a reading comprehension level of 9th to 10th grade, exceeding the recommended 7th to 8th grade level for the general public. These findings suggest the need for incorporating more accessible high quality information to better serve the general public. Enhancing the clarity and reliability of information will improve patient understanding and facilitate better management of hemorrhoids.