United States lung cancer screening program websites: radiology representation, multimedia and multilingual content.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: To assess radiology representation, multimedia content, and multilingual content of United States lung cancer screening (LCS) program websites. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We identified the websites of US LCS programs with the Google internet search engine using the search terms lung cancer screening, low-dose CT screening, and lung screening. We used a standardized checklist to assess and collect specific content, including information regarding LCS staff composition and references to radiologists and radiology. We also tabulated types and frequencies of included multimedia and multilingual content and patient narratives. RESULTS: We analyzed 257 unique websites. Of these, only 48% (124 of 257) referred to radiologists or radiology in text, images, or videos. Radiologists were featured in images or videos on only 14% (36 of 257) of websites. Radiologists were most frequently acknowledged for their roles in reading or interpreting imaging studies (35% [90 of 574]). Regarding multimedia content, only 36% (92 of 257) of websites had 1 image, 27% (70 of 257) included 2 or more images, and 26% (68 of 257) of websites included one or more videos. Only 3% (7 of 257) of websites included information in a language other than English. Patient narratives were found on only 15% (39 of 257) of websites. CONCLUSIONS: The field of Radiology is mentioned in text, images, or videos by less than half of LCS program websites. Most websites make only minimal use of multimedia content such as images, videos, and patient narratives. Few websites provide LCS information in languages other than English, potentially limiting accessibility to diverse populations.