Conventional cautions regarding online information: Do they predict accuracy of breast cancer websites?

2006 ◽  
Vol 24 (18_suppl) ◽  
pp. 6086-6086
Author(s):  
F. Meric-Bernstam ◽  
M. Walji ◽  
D. Sagaram ◽  
S. Sagaram ◽  
C. W. Johnson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Search Engine ◽  
Quality Criteria ◽  
Feedback Mechanism ◽  
Assessment Tools ◽  
Cancer Information ◽  
Web Pages ◽  
Online Information ◽  
Independent Evaluator ◽  
Online Methods

6086 Introduction: Cancer patients and oncologists are increasingly using the Internet. Online information is affecting patient decisions regarding treatment. Therefore, multiple organizations published advice on how to screen out problematic information online. In the present study, we sought to determine whether existing quality assessment tools can screen out false or inaccurate breast cancer information online. Methods: Using 15 representative search queries on five popular search engines and only the first page of results, we generated a list of 1,585 Web pages. After eliminating irrelevant, broken and duplicate links 343 unique web pages were downloaded and evaluated for website characteristics, information accuracy and 15 quality criteria: authorship identified, author credentials identified, physician credentials stated, author affiliation stated, sources clear, general disclosures, attribution/references provided, disclosure of ownership, date created displayed, date of last update displayed, date of creation or last updated displayed, editorial process stated, internal search engine present, feedback mechanism provided and copyright notice. Quality criteria were evaluated by an independent evaluator blinded to the accuracy information. Accuracy was determined independently by a pair of clinically trained evaluators. Results: Of 343 pages evaluated, 41 false/misleading statements were displayed on 18 distinct pages. The presence of an internal search engine was correlated most strongly (r = .196, r2 = .038) with health information accuracy. However, all quality criteria (alone or in combinations tested exhaustively) were linearly associated with less than 7% of the variance in number of inaccuracies per website. Conclusion: Currently available technical quality criteria do not identify false or misleading online information about breast cancer. At this time, directing patients to websites with known content appears to be the only way to ensure patients will not encounter false or misleading online information. No significant financial relationships to disclose.

scholarly journals Web-Based Medical Information Searching by Chinese Patients With Breast Cancer and its Influence on Survival: Observational Study

10.2196/16768 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. e16768 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yan Li ◽  
Shan Ye ◽  
Yidong Zhou ◽  
Feng Mao ◽  
Hailing Guo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Observational Study ◽  
Internet Use ◽  
Medical Information ◽  
Chinese Patients ◽  
Cancer Information ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Online Information ◽  
Information Searching ◽  
Web Based

Background The internet allows patients to easily look for health information. However, how Chinese patients with breast cancer use the internet has rarely been investigated, and there is a scarcity of information about the influence of internet use on survival. Objective This observational study aimed to investigate the details of online medical information searching by Chinese patients with breast cancer and to determine whether internet use has any survival benefits. Methods Patients who were diagnosed with invasive breast cancer at Peking Union Medical College Hospital between January 2014 and December 2015 were enrolled. We obtained information on their internet-searching behavior and gathered data from the patients’ medical and follow-up records. The associations between internet use and other clinic-pathological factors were analyzed. A Cox proportional-hazards model and the Kaplan-Meier method were used for disease-free survival (DFS) analyses. Results A total of 973 patients with invasive breast cancer who underwent definitive surgery took part in the study. Among them, 477 cases (49.0%) performed web-based breast cancer information searching before the initial treatment. A multivariate logistic regression analysis suggested that web-based breast cancer information searching was significantly associated with younger age (odds ratio [OR] 0.95, 95% CI 0.94-0.97, P<.001), higher education level (OR 1.37, 95% CI 1.01–1.86, P=.04), and breast conserving surgery (OR 1.35, 95% CI 1.04-1.77, P=.03). Baidu (73.4%, 350/477) and WeChat (66.7%, 318/477) were the two most popular online information sources for breast cancer; however, only 44.9% (214/477) felt satisfied with the online information. In contrast to the nonweb searching group, the web-using patients who were satisfied with online information showed significantly improved DFS (hazard ratio 0.26; 95% CI 0.08-0.88, P=.03). Conclusions The patients who were most likely to search the internet for breast cancer information were younger and well-educated, and they were more likely to have breast conserving therapy. Web-using patients who were satisfied with the internet information showed significantly improved DFS. Patients should browse credible websites offering accurate and updated information, and website developers should provide high-quality and easy-to-understand information to better meet the needs of patients with breast cancer.

scholarly journals Quality of Breast Cancer Information on the Internet by African Organizations: An Appraisal

2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cynthia Pomaa Akuoko
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Quality Criteria ◽  
Cancer Information ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Total Quality ◽  
Considerable Effort ◽  
Quality Of Information ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Google Search

Objective. The aim of this study was to appraise the quality of information on BC available at websites run by organizations in Africa.Methods. Three searches were conducted using Google search engine to generate a list of websites. The identified websites were assessed using European Commission (EC) quality criteria for health-related websites, which comprises different assessment areas including, completeness, transparency and honesty, authority, privacy and data protection, updating of information, accountability, and accessibility.Results. Thirteen (13) websites were included in the evaluation. Majority of the websites evaluated had low scores on the completeness and transparency of their websites. Scores on accessibility were however moderate and high for most of the websites. Breast cancer-specific organizations provided the highest quality information, particularly in terms of completeness. The overall lowest and highest quality scores were 9 and 43 out of 63, respectively, and 77% of the included websites scored less than 50% of the total quality score.Conclusion. This review has provided evidence of inadequate and inaccurate BC information provided by some cancer organizations in Africa. Considerable effort is required to make BC information on the Internet a valuable and up-to-date source for both professionals and patients.

scholarly journals Commonly cited website quality criteria are not effective at identifying inaccurate online information about breast cancer

Cancer ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 112 (6) ◽  
pp. 1206-1213 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elmer V. Bernstam ◽  
Muhammad F. Walji ◽  
Smitha Sagaram ◽  
Deepak Sagaram ◽  
Craig W. Johnson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Quality Criteria ◽  
Online Information ◽  
Website Quality

scholarly journals Directing the public to evidence-based online content

2014 ◽  
Vol 22 (e1) ◽  
pp. e39-e41 ◽  
Author(s):  
Crystale Purvis Cooper ◽  
Cynthia A Gelb ◽  
Alexandra N Vaughn ◽  
Jenny Smuland ◽  
Alexandra G Hughes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Disease Control ◽  
Search Engine ◽  
Gynecologic Cancer ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
Cancer Information ◽  
Web Pages ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Teachable Moment ◽  
The Public ◽  
Search Terms

Abstract To direct online users searching for gynecologic cancer information to accurate content, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) ‘Inside Knowledge: Get the Facts About Gynecologic Cancer’ campaign sponsored search engine advertisements in English and Spanish. From June 2012 to August 2013, advertisements appeared when US Google users entered search terms related to gynecologic cancer. Users who clicked on the advertisements were directed to relevant content on the CDC website. Compared with the 3 months before the initiative (March–May 2012), visits to the CDC web pages linked to the advertisements were 26 times higher after the initiative began (June–August 2012) (p&lt;0.01), and 65 times higher when the search engine advertisements were supplemented with promotion on television and additional websites (September 2012–August 2013) (p&lt;0.01). Search engine advertisements can direct users to evidence-based content at a highly teachable moment—when they are seeking relevant information.

scholarly journals Population-Based Estimates of the Age-Specific Cumulative Risk of Breast Cancer for Pathogenic Variants in CHEK2: Findings from the Australian Breast Cancer Family Registry

Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 1378
Author(s):  
Tú Nguyen-Dumont ◽  
James G. Dowty ◽  
Jason A. Steen ◽  
Anne-Laure Renault ◽  
Fleur Hammet ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Cumulative Risk ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Case Control ◽  
Cancer Information ◽  
Case Control Studies ◽  
Breast Cancer Family ◽  
Pathogenic Variants ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Control Family

Case-control studies of breast cancer have consistently shown that pathogenic variants in CHEK2 are associated with about a 3-fold increased risk of breast cancer. Information about the recurrent protein-truncating variant CHEK2 c.1100delC dominates this estimate. There have been no formal estimates of age-specific cumulative risk of breast cancer for all CHEK2 pathogenic (including likely pathogenic) variants combined. We conducted a population-based case-control-family study of pathogenic CHEK2 variants (26 families, 1071 relatives) and estimated the age-specific cumulative risk of breast cancer using segregation analysis. The estimated hazard ratio for carriers of pathogenic CHEK2 variants (combined) was 4.9 (95% CI 2.5–9.5) relative to non-carriers. The HR for carriers of the CHEK2 c.1100delC variant was estimated to be 3.5 (95% CI 1.02–11.6) and the HR for carriers of all other CHEK2 variants combined was estimated to be 5.7 (95% CI 2.5–12.9). The age-specific cumulative risk of breast cancer was estimated to be 18% (95% CI 11–30%) and 33% (95% CI 21–48%) to age 60 and 80 years, respectively. These findings provide important information for the clinical management of breast cancer risk for women carrying pathogenic variants in CHEK2.

The acceptability of web-care for patients with major depressive disorder

2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (S1) ◽  
pp. S28-S28
Author(s):  
M. Ladea ◽  
M. Bran
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Web Application ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Depression Scale ◽  
Assessment Tools ◽  
Online Information ◽  
Evaluation Tool ◽  
Governmental Organization ◽  
Self Evaluation ◽  
Competing Interest

IntroductionWith the extraordinary rate of development of E-health and widespread internet access in Romania, Inomedica decided to create a platform dedicated primarily to the patients and their families: depresiv.ro. According to Internet Live Stats there were 11,178,477 Internet users in Romania (representing 51.66% of the population) in 2014. Inomedica is a non-governmental organization founded by a multidisciplinary team (psychiatrists, sociologists, IT specialists).The platforms provide rigorous and quality online information about depression as well as self-assessment tools and Q&A section.The presentation will explore the development and effects of the first 16 months of operation of a web platform about depression.MethodsThe depresiv.ro platform design is simple and user friendly. Mental health specialists contributed to the development of the content, which is easy to access and understand.The platform also provides access to a self-evaluation tool, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and thus helps the users identify possible problems and encourage them to seek professional help. The web application also included a demographic questionnaire, and a medical history questionnaire. A native iOS version of the application is available to download free on AppStore. The platform is supported by a Google grant program.ResultsThe platform traffic increased from a few users per day at launch to more than 1000 unique visitors per day. Since 1st January 2015, about 178,000 unique visitors accessed the platform. All the metrics improved significantly during the last months: bounce rate (66.3%), average session duration (02:17 minutes), number of pages per session (2.4).About 25,000 users accessed the HADS application since its release, from August 2014 until September 2015, showing the increasing need for free online self-evaluation tools.The Q&A section is one of the most visited on the platform since many users try to find answers for their questions regarding depressive or anxiety symptoms.ConclusionsAs new technologies are introduced and become more accessible, mental health specialists are developing new ways of providing services and collecting data. The traffic data/usage for both the depresiv.ro platform and the app are evidence for the widespread acceptability of web-based delivery methods.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

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