(83) Mapping the Consumer Health Information Landscape for Mullerian Anomalies in NNLM Region 4

Background: Mullerian Anomalies are congenital birth defects affecting reproductive tract found in approximately 5.5% of the general female population. These patients often experience lifelong gynecological comorbidities, so access to accurate and timely information regarding treatment and care for the condition is crucial. Due to inherent challenges with rural healthcare access, those patients in rural areas face greater difficulties in obtaining comprehensive care, highlighting the crucial role of appropriate health information for this population.

Methods: Our project sought to identify health information gaps and opportunities to support education of females diagnosed with Mullerian Anomalies by performing searches of the medical literature, health care system and provider websites, medical association websites, social media, and freely available consumer health resources, such as Medline Plus. The information was compiled, and the NLM’s Health Education Materials Assessment Tool (HEMAT) and Flesch-Kincaid Calculator was used to assess the readability of the resources.

Results: There was sparse information available to women in Arizona, Idaho, Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming with 83 websites and 21 online patient social media groups identified. Of the information available, the majority (73.8%) failed to pass HEMAT and 91.3% of the resources found was written for an audience that had a college reading level.

Conclusions: There is a gap in consumer health information available to women with Mullerian Anomalies in rural parts of the United States. Interdisciplinary teams of healthcare professionals, librarians, and researchers can work together to have a key role in locating reliable and appropriate consumer health information and start outreach projects to provide better access to these resources.