Quality of information available on the World Wide Web for patients undergoing thyroidectomy: review

2011 ◽  
Vol 126 (2) ◽  
pp. 116-119 ◽  
Author(s):  
S Muthukumarasamy ◽  
Z Osmani ◽  
A Sharpe ◽  
R J A England
Keyword(s):  
World Wide Web ◽  
World Wide ◽  
Medical Information ◽  
Quality Of Information ◽  
Internet Health Information ◽  
Flesch Reading Ease ◽  
Key Word ◽  
The World ◽  
Ease Score

AbstractIntroduction:This study aimed to assess the quality of information available on the World Wide Web for patients undergoing thyroidectomy.Methods:The first 50 web-links generated by internet searches using the five most popular search engines and the key word ‘thyroidectomy’ were evaluated using the Lida website validation instrument (assessing accessibility, usability and reliability) and the Flesch Reading Ease Score.Results:We evaluated 103 of a possible 250 websites. Mean scores (ranges) were: Lida accessibility, 48/63 (27–59); Lida usability, 36/54 (21–50); Lida reliability, 21/51 (4–38); and Flesch Reading Ease, 43.9 (2.6–77.6).Conclusion:The quality of internet health information regarding thyroidectomy is variable. High ranking and popularity are not good indicators of website quality. Overall, none of the websites assessed achieved high Lida scores. In order to prevent the dissemination of inaccurate or commercially motivated information, we recommend independent labelling of medical information available on the World Wide Web.

Course Information on the World Wide Web

1996 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 16-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alistair Inglis
Keyword(s):  
World Wide Web ◽  
Comparative Study ◽  
World Wide ◽  
Quality Of Information ◽  
The World ◽  
Further Development ◽  
Australian Universities

A comparative study was made of the ways in which Australian universities are disseminating information about their courses over the World Wide Web. The study examined the quantity and quality of the information provided, the forms in which information is presented, and means of access to the information. The results of the survey indicated that while the majority of universities are now publishing at least some information over the World Wide Web, both the quantity and quality of information is variable. Implications for further development of institutional course information databases are discussed.

The quality of information about kidney transplantation on the World Wide Web

2007 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 371-376 ◽  
Author(s):  
Faisal Hanif ◽  
Kumar Abayasekara ◽  
Lisa Willcocks ◽  
Elaine C Jolly ◽  
Neville V Jamieson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Kidney Transplantation ◽  
World Wide Web ◽  
World Wide ◽  
Quality Of Information ◽  
The World

The poor quality of information about laparoscopy on the World Wide Web as indexed by popular search engines

2001 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 170-172 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.W. Allen ◽  
R.J. Finch ◽  
M.G. Coleman ◽  
L.K. Nathanson ◽  
N.A. O'Rourke ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
World Wide Web ◽  
Search Engines ◽  
World Wide ◽  
Poor Quality ◽  
Quality Of Information ◽  
The Poor ◽  
The World

The Quality of Medical Information on the Internet

2011 ◽  
pp. 220-230 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carmine Sellitto
Keyword(s):  
World Wide Web ◽  
World Wide ◽  
Medical Information ◽  
Medical Professionals ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Web Page ◽  
The World ◽  
On Line ◽  
Health Consumers

This chapter provides an overview of some of the criteria that are currently being used to assess medical information found on the World Wide Web (WWW). Drawing from the evaluation frameworks discussed, a simple set of easy to apply criteria is proposed for evaluating on-line medical information. The criterion covers the categories of information accuracy, objectivity, privacy, currency and authority. A checklist for web page assessment and scoring is also proposed, providing an easy to use tool for medical professionals, health consumers and medical web editors.

Glue ear: how good is the information on the World Wide Web?

2016 ◽  
Vol 130 (2) ◽  
pp. 157-161 ◽  
Author(s):  
L Ritchie ◽  
C Tornari ◽  
P M Patel ◽  
R Lakhani
Keyword(s):  
World Wide Web ◽  
World Wide ◽  
Poor Quality ◽  
Quality Of Information ◽  
Readability Score ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The World ◽  
Glue Ear ◽  
Huge Variation

AbstractObjective:This paper objectively evaluates current information available to the general public related to glue ear on the World Wide Web.Methods:The term ‘glue ear’ was typed into the 3 most frequently used internet search engines – Google, Bing and Yahoo – and the first 20 links were analysed. The first 400 words of each page were used to calculate the Flesch–Kincaid readability score. Each website was subsequently graded using the Discern instrument, which gauges quality and content of literature.Results:The websites Webmd.boots.com, Bupa.co.uk and Patient.co.uk received the highest overall scores. These reflected top scores in either readability or Discern instrument assessment, but not both. Readability and Discern scores increased with the presence of a marketing or advertising incentive. The Patient.co.uk website had the highest Discern score and third highest readability score.Conclusion:There is huge variation in the quality of information available to patients on the internet. Some websites may be accessible to a wide range of reading ages but have poor quality content, and vice versa. Clinicians should be aware of indicators of quality, and use validated instruments to assess and recommend literature.

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