Abstract
<title>Abstract</title> <p>Background Online patient education materials are widely used by patients seeking information on dermatologic conditions; however, concerns remain regarding both the quality and readability of these resources. Objective This study evaluated the quality and readability of publicly available dermatology websites related to melanoma, basal cell carcinoma (BCC), and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), and examined the relationship between these domains. Methods A cross-sectional analysis of 19 websites was conducted. Website quality was assessed using the DISCERN instrument, while readability was evaluated using the SMOG index, with additional readability metrics collected for descriptive analysis. Spearman’s rank correlation was used to assess the association between quality and readability, and websites were categorized by readability (SMOG ≤ 8 vs. > 8) to compare DISCERN scores using the Wilcoxon rank-sum test. Results The mean DISCERN score was 50.0 ± 13.32, indicating moderate quality. The mean SMOG score was 7.79 ± 1.42, with a median of 8.16. No significant correlation was observed between DISCERN and SMOG scores (ρ = −0.057, p = 0.817). DISCERN scores were similar between websites meeting recommended readability levels and those exceeding them (50.1 ± 13.9 vs. 49.9 ± 13.6; p = 1.00). Conclusion Dermatology patient education materials demonstrate moderate quality but frequently approach or exceed recommended readability levels. Importantly, no relationship was observed between quality and readability, suggesting that improving accessibility to patient materials does not inherently compromise informational quality.</p>