Orthodontic extractions and the Internet: Quality of online information available to the public

2011 ◽  
Vol 139 (2) ◽  
pp. e103-e109 ◽  
Author(s):  
Urvi Patel ◽  
Martyn T. Cobourne
Keyword(s):  
The Internet ◽  
Online Information ◽  
The Public

scholarly journals Quality and Readability of Online Information Available for the General Public on Orofacial Granulomatosis

2021 ◽  
Vol 30 (04) ◽  
pp. 267-274
Author(s):  
Zain Akram ◽  
◽  
Malik Adeel Anwar
Keyword(s):  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Selection Process ◽  
Social Stigma ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Online Information ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
Orofacial Granulomatosis ◽  
Cheilitis Granulomatosa

OBJECTIVE: Orofacial granulomatosis (OFG) is a relatively rare entity. The information pertaining to it is accessible to patients and care-givers on the internet in a scarce quantity. The aims of the current study were to evaluate quality, readability, understandability and actionability of information regarding the disease-orofacial granulomatosis-available to the public on the internet. The purpose of the study was to evaluate ease of access and understandability of language available for individuals affected by OFG. Although the incidence of the disease is very low in Pakistan, patients with symptoms of OFG rarely report to clinics due to social stigma. METHODOLOGY: A vivid selection process was chosen for the study. The study was conducted online on 'google scholar' website. Four different search terms were used 'ofg disease', 'orofacial granulomatosis', 'cheilitis granulomatosa' and 'Melkersson Rosenthal Syndrome' to seek information on orofacial granulomatosis. All of this was done during July, 2020 to October 2020. The first 100 results from each term were shortlisted and evaluated further. Exclusion criteria was used and several repetitive sites, non-functional links, sites containing content irrelevant to the search were excluded. This resulted in 58 websites relevant to the search that were then categorized according to affiliation, specialisation, content type as well as content presentation. Three grading assessments were utilized to assess the quality of this online information; the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) benchmarks, the Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool for Printable Materials (PEMAT-P) and the presence of Health on the Net (HON) seal. In order to assess the readability of the content in the websites, the Flesch Reading Ease Score (FRES) and Simple Measure of Gobbledygook (SMOG) were used. RESULTS: The overall quality of online information on orofacial granulomatosis is difficult to comprehend and act upon as assessed by the PEMAT. The HON seal was visible on only 5 (9%) websites. In terms of readability, only one (2%) website was fairly easy to read. CONCLUSIONS: The online information on orofacial granulomatosis is qualitatively poor and does not serve its purpose in true sense. There is a need to devise better, high quality online readable information for patients and the public to understand. KEY WORDS: Orofacial granulomatosis, cheilitis granulomatosa, PEMAT.

scholarly journals Assessing Sufficiency and Quality of Bandwidth for Public Libraries

2007 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 14 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Carlo Bertot ◽  
Charles R. McClure
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Public Access ◽  
The Internet ◽  
The Public ◽  
Internet Study ◽  
Telecommunications Services ◽  
Access Services ◽  
Networked Services

Based on data collected as part of the 2006 Public Libraries and the Internet study, the authors assess the degree to which public libraries provide sufficient and quality bandwidth to support the library’s networked services and resources. The topic is complex due to the arbitrary assignment of a number of kilobytes per second (kbps) used to define bandwidth. Such arbitrary definitions to describe bandwidth sufficiency and quality are not useful. Public libraries are indeed connected to the Internet and do provide public-access services and resources. It is, however, time to move beyond connectivity type and speed questions and consider issues of bandwidth sufficiency, quality, and the range of networked services that should be available to the public from public libraries. A secondary, but important issue is the extent to which libraries, particularly in rural areas, have access to broadband telecommunications services.

Social Inclusion and OmbudsOffice Websites in Canada

2014 ◽  
pp. 199-214
Author(s):  
Stewart Hyson
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Digital Technology ◽  
Social Inclusion ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Online Information ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Sector Organizations ◽  
Independent Mechanism

The Internet and digital technology provide great potential for public sector organizations to broaden their scope of social inclusion and thereby better serve the populace. This is especially the case of the Ombudsman institution that exists to provide the public with an independent mechanism through which members of the public may seek redress of grievances of alleged administrative wrongdoings. However has the potential of what has been a reality in Canada been realized? This chapter takes a user's approach to depict what users find when they go online to lodge complaints with OmbudsOffices, both federally and provincially in Canada. For the most part, Canadian OmbudsOffices have been relatively conservative by placing online information that is also found in printed format.

From Circuit Switched to IP-Based Networks

2009 ◽  
pp. 212-217 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas M. Chen
Keyword(s):  
Fiber Optics ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Internet Protocol ◽  
Ease Of Use ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Data Services ◽  
The Public ◽  
Telephone System ◽  
E Mail

The founding of the Bell Telephone System, the public switched telephone network (PSTN), has evolved into a highly successful global telecommunications system. It is designed specifically for voice communications, and provides a high quality of service and ease of use. It is supported by sophisticated operations systems that ensure extremely high dependability and availability. Over the past 100 years, it has been a showcase for communications engineering and led to groundbreaking new technologies (e.g., transistors, fiber optics). Yet it is remarkable that many public carriers see their future in Internet protocol (IP) networks, namely the Internet. Of course, the Internet has also been highly successful, coinciding with the proliferation of personal computers. It has become ubiquitous for data applications such as the World Wide Web, e-mail, and peer-to-peer file sharing. While it is not surprising that the Internet is the future for data services, even voice services are transitioning to voice over Internet protocol (VoIP). This phenomenon bears closer examination, as a prime example explaining the success of the Internet as a universal communications platform. This chapter gives a historical development of the Internet and an overview of technical and nontechnical reasons for the convergence of services.

DOZ047.115: Quality and readability of esophageal atresia information on the Internet

2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
B R O’Connor ◽  
E Doherty ◽  
F Friedmacher ◽  
L Vernon ◽  
T S Paran
Keyword(s):  
Esophageal Atresia ◽  
Oesophageal Atresia ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Online Information ◽  
Search Term ◽  
Flesch Reading Ease ◽  
Ease Score ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Google Search

Abstract Introduction Increasingly in pediatric surgical practice, patients, their parents, and surgeons alike use the Internet as an easily and quickly accessible source of information about conditions and their treatment. The quality and reliability of this information may often be unregulated. We aim to objectively assess the online information available relating to esophageal atresia and its management. Methods We performed searches for ‘oesophageal atresia’ and ‘esophageal atresia’ using the Google, Yahoo, and Bing engines to encompass both European and American spellings. We assessed the first 20 results of each search and excluded duplicates or unrelated pages. The DISCERN score and the Health on the Net Foundation Code (HONcode) toolbar were utilized to assess the quality of information on each website. We evaluated readability with the Flesch reading ease (FRE) and the Flesch–Kincaid grade (FKG). Results Of the original 120 hits, 61 were excluded (51 duplicates, 10 unrelated). Out of 59 individual sites reviewed, only 13 sites were HONcode approved. The mean overall DISCERN score was 52.55 (range: 22–78). The mean DISCERN score for the search term ‘oesphageal atresia’ was 57 (range: 22–78) in comparison to 59.03 for ‘esophageal atresia’ (range: 27–78). Google search had the lowest overall mean DISCERN score at 54.83 (range: 35–78), followed by Yahoo at 58.03 (range: 22–78), and Bing with the highest overall mean score of 61.2 (range: 27–78). The majority of websites were graded excellent (≥63) or good (51–62), 43% and 27%, respectively; 20% were scored as fair (39–50), with 10% being either poor (27–38) or very poor (≤26). In terms of readability, the overall Flesch Reading Ease score was 33.02, and the overall Flesch–Kincaid grade level was 10.3. Conclusions The quality of freely available online information relating to esophageal atresia is generally good but may not be accessible to everyone due to being relatively difficult to read. We should direct parents towards comprehensive, high-quality, and easily readable information sources should they wish to supplement their knowledge about esophageal atresia and its management.

IMAGE MANAGEMENT OF POLITICIANS ON FACEBOOK AND CITIZENS’ ELECTORAL ACTIVITY

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 273-291
Author(s):  
Krystian Dudek
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Public Space ◽  
Direct Contact ◽  
Communication Channels ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Image Management ◽  
Communication Tools ◽  
The Public ◽  
Know How

The functioning of politicians in the public space is connected with the necessity of building and managing the image, presenting opinions, views, reporting activities and building relations with the electorate in order to mobilise it to electoral activity. The key to success is to reach voters effectively. Among many communication tools available, the importance of the Internet and social media in particular is constantly growing. It takes over other communication channels’ functions and enables direct contact with the voter. However, in order to use the potential of the most popular social media in Poland – Facebook – and effectively manage the image, one needs to know its character and rules governing this environment. Unfortunately, politicians’ knowledge on this subject proves to be rather poor, which translates into the quality of their communication with voters. Research has proved that politicians who know how to use this tool achieve much greater reaches (regardless of the number of those entitled to vote) and build stronger relationships with voters, which translates into the electorate’s behavior during the elections.

scholarly journals High tibial osteotomy: A review of the readability and quality of patient information on the internet

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 323-328
Author(s):  
Matthew Clark ◽  
Ian Colin Baxter ◽  
Matthew Hampton ◽  
Robert D Sandler ◽  
Andrew Legg
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
High Tibial Osteotomy ◽  
Patient Information ◽  
Code Of Conduct ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Online Information ◽  
Tibial Osteotomy ◽  
Common Procedure ◽  
Flesch Reading Ease

Background: High tibial osteotomy (HTO) is a common procedure performed for unicompartmental knee osteoarthritis (OA). Patients are increasingly using the internet to research surgical procedures to help aid decision making. Our aim was to assess the readability and quality of information available to patients online relating to HTO. Methods: A systematic review of three search engines Google, Bing, and Yahoo using the search terms "high tibial osteotomy" and "tibial osteotomy" separately was performed. The first three pages of results for each search engine were analyzed. Readability was assessed using the Flesch Reading Ease Scale (FRES), Flesch-Kincaid Grade level (FKGL) and the Simple Measure of Gobbledygook formula (SMOG). Quality was assessed with the DISCERN questionnaire, JAMAbenchmarks and the presence of Health on the Net Foundation Code of Conduct (HONCode). Results: Twenty-four webpages were included after duplicates (n=42) and exclusions (n=24).The overall readability was low, with a mean FRES of 53.2 (SD: 9.1), FKGL 10.7 (SD: 1.8),SMOG 10.4 (SD: 1.5). Quality was also low with a mean DISCERN score of 42 (SD: 12.3).None of the webpages fulfilled all of the JAMA benchmarking criteria and only 2/24 (8.3%)webpages possessed HONCode certification. Conclusion: The overall online information available to patient’s considering HTO is of lowreadability and quality. Improving the quality and readability of patient information online willbenefit informed patient decision making before HTO surgery.

scholarly journals Online Information About Periviable Birth: Quality Assessment (Preprint)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adriane F Haragan ◽  
Carly A Zuwiala ◽  
Katherine P Himes
Keyword(s):  
Medical Information ◽  
The United States ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Online Information ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Comfort Care ◽  
Treatment Choices ◽  
News Stories ◽  
Google Search

BACKGROUND Over 20,000 parents in the United States face the challenge of participating in decisions about whether to use life support for their infants born on the cusp of viability every year. Clinicians must help families grasp complex medical information about their baby’s immediate prognosis as well as the risk for significant long-term morbidity. Patients faced with this decision want supplemental information and frequently seek medical information on the Internet. Empirical evidence about the quality of websites is lacking. OBJECTIVE We sought to evaluate the quality of online information available about periviable birth and treatment options for infants born at the cusp of viability. METHODS We read a counseling script to 20 pregnant participants that included information typically provided by perinatal and neonatal providers when periviable birth is imminent. The women were then asked to list terms they would use to search the Internet if they wanted additional information. Using these search terms, two reviewers evaluated the content of websites obtained via a Google search. We used two metrics to assess the quality of websites. The first was the DISCERN instrument, a validated questionnaire designed to assess the quality of patient-targeted health information for treatment choices. The second metric was the Essential Content Tool (ECT), a tool designed to address key components of counseling around periviable birth as outlined by professional organizations. DISCERN scores were classified as low quality if scores were 2, fair quality if scores were 3, and high quality if scores were 4 or higher. Scores of 6 or higher on the ECT were considered high quality. Interreviewer agreement was assessed by calculated kappa statistic. RESULTS A total of 97 websites were reviewed. Over half (57/97, 59%) were for-profit sites, news stories, or personal blogs; 28% (27/97) were government or medical sites; and 13% (13/97) were nonprofit or advocacy sites. The majority of sites scored poorly in DISCERN questions designed to assess the reliability of information presented as well as data regarding treatment choices. Only 7% (7/97) of the websites were high quality as defined by the DISCERN tool. The majority of sites did not address the essential content defined by the ECT. Importantly, only 18% of websites (17/97) indicated that there are often a number of reasonable approaches to newborn care when faced with periviable birth. Agreement was strong, with kappa ranging from .72 to .91. CONCLUSIONS Most information about periviable birth found on the Internet using common search strategies is of low quality. News stories highlighting positive outcomes are disproportionately represented. Few websites discuss comfort care or how treatment decisions impact quality of life.

scholarly journals Public Interest in Acne on the Internet: Comparison of Search Information From Google Trends and Naver

10.2196/19427 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (10) ◽  
pp. e19427
Author(s):  
Tae Heum Park ◽  
Woo Il Kim ◽  
Suyeon Park ◽  
Jaeouk Ahn ◽  
Moon Kyun Cho ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Acne Vulgaris ◽  
Google Trends ◽  
The Internet ◽  
The Public ◽  
Dermatological Diseases ◽  
Search Volume ◽  
Korean Traditional Medicine ◽  
Common Skin ◽  
Education And Care

Background Acne vulgaris is a common skin disease primarily affecting young adults. Given that the internet has become a major source of health information, especially among the young, the internet is a powerful tool of communication and has a significant influence on patients. Objective This study aimed to clarify the features of patients’ interest in and evaluate the quality of information about acne vulgaris on the internet. Methods We compared the search volumes on acne vulgaris with those of other dermatological diseases using Google Trends from January 2004 to August 2019. We also determined the search volumes for relevant keywords of acne vulgaris on Google and Naver and evaluated the quality of answers to the queries in KnowledgeiN. Results The regression analysis of Google Trends data demonstrated that the patients’ interest in acne vulgaris was higher than that for other dermatological diseases, such as atopic dermatitis (β=−20.33, 95% CI –22.27 to –18.39, P<.001) and urticaria (β=−27.09, 95% CI –29.03 to –25.15, P<.001) and has increased yearly (β=2.38, 95% CI 2.05 to 2.71, P<.001). The search volume for acne vulgaris was significantly higher in the summer than in the spring (β=–5.04, 95% CI –9.21 to –0.88, P=.018) and on weekends than on weekdays (β=–6.68, 95% CI –13.18 to –0.18, P=.044). The most frequently searched relevant keywords with “acne vulgaris” and “cause” were “stress,” “food,” and “cosmetics.” Among food, the 2 highest acne vulgaris–related keywords were milk and wheat in Naver and coffee and ramen in Google. The queries in Naver KnowledgeiN were mostly answered by a Korean traditional medicine doctor (53.4%) or the public (33.6%), but only 12.0% by dermatologists. Conclusions Physicians should be aware of patients’ interest in and beliefs about acne vulgaris to provide the best patient education and care, both online and in the clinic.

A cross-sectional study on quality of diabetes information identified from the Internet (Preprint)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jingchun Fan ◽  
Jean Craig ◽  
Na Zhao ◽  
Fujian Song
Keyword(s):  
Health Information ◽  
Search Engine ◽  
Search Engines ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Online Health Information ◽  
Online Information ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Content Coverage ◽  
Google Search

BACKGROUND Increasingly people seek health information from the Internet, in particular, health information on diseases that require intensive self-management, such as diabetes. However, the Internet is largely unregulated and the quality of online health information may not be credible. OBJECTIVE To assess the quality of online information on diabetes identified from the Internet. METHODS We used the single term “diabetes” or equivalent Chinese characters to search Google and Baidu respectively. The first 50 websites retrieved from each of the two search engines were screened for eligibility using pre-determined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Included websites were assessed on four domains: accessibility, content coverage, validity and readability. RESULTS We included 26 websites from Google search engine and 34 from Baidu search engine. There were significant differences in website provider (P<0.0001), but not in targeted population (P=0.832) and publication types (P=0.378), between the two search engines. The website accessibility was not statistically significantly different between the two search engines, although there were significant differences in items regarding website content coverage. There was no statistically significant difference in website validity between the Google and Baidu search engines (mean Discern score 3.3 vs 2.9, p=0.156). The results to appraise readability for English website showed that that Flesch Reading Ease scores ranged from 23.1 to 73.0 and the mean score of Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level ranged range from 5.7 to 19.6. CONCLUSIONS The content coverage of the health information for patients with diabetes in English search engine tended to be more comprehensive than that from Chinese search engine. There was a lack of websites provided by health organisations in China. The quality of online health information for people with diabetes needs to be improved to bridge the knowledge gap between website service and public demand.

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