scholarly journals Reliability of Cancer Treatment Information on the Internet: Observational Study (Preprint)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryo Ogasawara ◽  
Noriyuki Katsumata ◽  
Tatsushi Toyooka ◽  
Yuko Akaishi ◽  
Takaaki Yokoyama ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Medical Students ◽  
Cancer Survivors ◽  
Cancer Treatment ◽  
Information Search ◽  
Medical Information ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Reliability Level ◽  
Treatment Information ◽  
Medical Oncologists ◽  
Kappa Value

BACKGROUND Finding the correct medical information in a flood of information from the internet is a significant issue for patients with cancer. OBJECTIVE We investigated the reliability of the information on cancer treatment methods available on the internet based on an evaluation by medical oncologists, medical students, and cancer survivors. METHODS Using Google and Yahoo as the search engines, we carried out the information search using 2 keywords, “cancer treatment” and “cancer cure,” and the top 20 information sites were identified. A similar search was conducted on 5 types of cancer. The reliability of the information presented was rated on a 3-level scale (A, B, or C). Level A referred to reliable sites (providing information complying with the clinical practice guidelines for various types of cancer), Level B included sites not falling under either Level A or Level C, and Level C comprised dangerous or harmful sites (providing information on treatment not approved by the regulatory authority in Japan and bombastic advertisements without any relevant clinical evidence). The evaluation was conducted by medical oncologists, medical students, and cancer survivors. The consistency of the information reliability level rating between the medical students or cancer survivors with that of the medical oncologists was assessed by using the kappa value. RESULTS A total of 247 sites were evaluated for reliability. The ratings provided by the medical students’ group were as follows: Level A, 12.1% (30/247); Level B, 56.3% (139/247); and Level C, 31.6% (78/247). The ratings provided by the cancer survivors’ group were as follows: Level A, 16.8% (41/244); Level B, 44.7% (109/244); and Level C, 38.5% (94/244). The ratings provided by the oncologists’ group were as follows: Level A, 10.1% (25/247); Level B, 51.4% (127/247); and Level C, 38.5% (95/247). The intergroup rating consistency between the medical students’ group and oncologists’ group was 87.4% (216/247, kappa=0.77) and that between the cancer survivors’ group and oncologists’ group was 76.2% (186/244, kappa=0.61). CONCLUSIONS Of the investigated sites providing information on cancer treatment on the internet, the percentage of sites that seemed to provide harmful information was much higher than that of sites providing reliable information. The reliability level rating was highly consistent between the medical students’ group and the medical oncologists’ group and also between the cancer survivors’ group and the medical oncologists’ group.

Assessment of The Digestive System Malignancy Information in Wikipedia and Baidu Encyclopedia: Longitudinal Study (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jianchen Luo ◽  
Jing Ma ◽  
Liangliang Xu ◽  
Lian Li ◽  
Ming Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Digestive System ◽  
Medical Information ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
Medical Professional ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Treatment Information ◽  
International Statistical Classification ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Search For Information

BACKGROUND The Internet has gradually become the most important way for people to search for information. Increasing number of people searched for relevant information or even treatment plans on the Internet when they get health problem. The reliability of the medical information provided online remains to be proved. Wikipedia and Baidu Encyclopedia are the most widely used search engines in English and Chinese, respectively. The quality of the medical information they provide needs to be assessed. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to evaluate the quality and timeliness of medical information related with digestive system malignancy retrieved from Wikipedia and Baidu Encyclopedia. Comparison was made between the 2 encyclopedias. We conducted a 3-year follow-up to find out if the quality and timeliness of articles improved. METHODS We conducted a search based on International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems 10th Revision Version 2016 codes in Wikipedia and Baidu Encyclopedia, and evaluated articles related to digestive system malignancy by using the DISCERN instrument. We calculated the update interval of the webpages to evaluate the update timeliness of these websites. RESULTS In 2017 and 2020, we searched out a total of 50 and 52 articles from Baidu Encyclopedia, with 2 articles increased and no article missed. 30 and 32 articles were found in Wikipedia, with 1 article increased and no article missed. According to the scores evaluated by DISCERN instrument. In both 2017 and 2020, Wikipedia scored higher than Baidu Encyclopedia in section1 and section2, and it's statistically significant. Wikipedia scored higher than Baidu Encyclopedia in Section3, but it's not statistically significant. The total score of Wikipedia was higher than Baidu Encyclopedia, and the difference was statistically significant. The update interval of Wikipedia is shorter than that of Baidu Encyclopedia, with better timeliness and statistical significance. CONCLUSIONS The quality and timeliness of digestive system malignancy relative articles on Wikipedia are better than those on Baidu Encyclopedia. Both Baidu Encyclopedia and Wikipedia articles have improved in quality over the past three years. However, the treatment information obtained from the Internet still can’t guarantee its comprehensiveness or reliability. Patients should consult a medical professional directly.

scholarly journals Can Medical Students Evaluate Medical Websites?

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Teresa Loda ◽  
Ken Masters ◽  
Stephan Zipfel ◽  
Anne Herrmann-Werner
Keyword(s):  
Medical Students ◽  
Medical Information ◽  
Evaluation Criteria ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Undergraduate Medical Students ◽  
Teaching Intervention ◽  
Website Evaluation ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Keywords Internet ◽  
Need To Evaluate

Objectives: Medical students and practitioners need to evaluate medical information found on the Internet. Most current medical students are familiar with the Internet, but their ability to evaluate material may require additional skills. We aimed to discover the extent to which medical students can evaluate medical websites, criteria used, factors affecting their abilities, and whether a teaching intervention could rectify problems. Methods: A class of 181 undergraduate medical students evaluated an unreliable medically-related website, received a teaching intervention on web site evaluation criteria, and re-evaluated the same site. Results: A total of 149 (82.3%) students participated.  Students spent a mean of 4.69 hours per day on the Internet; there were no significant correlations between demographic indicators and Internet time. On Likert Scales of 1-10, students’ scores ranged from 5-6, with no significant differences between the pre- and post- evaluations, except increased polarisation away from the mean.  Qualitative comments indicated an awareness of relevant criteria, but an overall inability to critically apply them. Conclusion: The results indicate that one cannot make a blanket statement about medical students’ ability to evaluate medical websites, in spite of technological familiarity.  The indications are that website evaluation should be viewed primarily from the information perspective, and that critical thinking ability may play a major role. Because of these overriding factors, short interventions are unlikely to have an impact, and other educational strategies should be developed.  These are necessary to ensure that medical students can function independently as life-long learners and medical professionals. Keywords: Internet; Students, Medical; Oman.

scholarly journals Reliability of Cancer Treatment Information on the Internet: Observational Study

JMIR Cancer ◽  
10.2196/10031 ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. e10031 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryo Ogasawara ◽  
Noriyuki Katsumata ◽  
Tatsushi Toyooka ◽  
Yuko Akaishi ◽  
Takaaki Yokoyama ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Observational Study ◽  
Cancer Treatment ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Treatment Information

scholarly journals INTERNET RESOURCES AS FACTORS OF INTERNET DEPENDENCE OF MEDICAL STUDENTS

2021 ◽  
pp. 90-96
Author(s):  
Lukashchuk S.Yu.
Keyword(s):  
Medical Students ◽  
Internet Addiction ◽  
Medical Information ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Care Quality ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Main Task ◽  
Sources Of Information ◽  
Internet Resources ◽  
The Impact

This article examines the Internet resources as the factors of students’ addictions. A wide implication of informatively-communication technologies in reality at present in various areas of different countries and age categories was given the specific attention.It is indicated that scientific association is interested in studying this topic. The research in the groups of medical workers and students is considered important due to their frequent uses of the Internet resources to satisfy professional requirements in actual information, which is updating all the time. The author pays attention to social networks impact and to both physical and phycological users’ health. In particular, it is stated that the sources of information can lead to anxiety increase, attention decrease, memory disorders and depression.Objective: to analyze popular online resources among medical students and their influence on the Internet addiction formation.Methods: in order to solve the task the complex of theoretical methods of research was used: studying and analyzing literature on phycology regarding the topic of the article, generalization and systematization of materials, which gave an opportunity to describe the basic aspects that are used in the Internet research on addiction.Results: the popular Internet resources and their uses as factors of the Internet addiction were analyzed. It is indicated that a single use of the Internet aiming at medical field can not result in the Internet addiction itself providing it is properly organized in use. It was discovered that the Internet addiction has a negative impact on students’ performance and their professionalism as future doctors.Conclusions: in order to reduce the impact of the Internet on its users including medical students, the complex work of students, tutors and supervisors is necessary. The main task is to reduce time spent online with educational purpose, which enable to preserve future doctors’ health and prevent from reduction of medical care quality,Key words: medical information, education, phycological disease, anxiety, attention, memory, depression, the Internet resources, the Internet addiction, students У статті розглядаються інтернет-ресурси як чинники інтернет-залежності студентів. Особлива увага приділяється широкому використанню інформаційно-комунікаційних технологій у реаліях сьогодення в усіх галузях життєдіяльності населення різних країн світу та вікових категорій.Указано на зацікавленість наукової спільноти у вивченні окресленої теми. Важливим є дослідження в групах медичних працівників та студентів, що зумовлено їх частим звертанням до інтернет-джерел для задоволення професійних потреб в актуальній інформації, яка швидко оновлюється. Автор звер-тає увагу на вплив інтернет-мереж на фізичне та психічне здоров’я користувачів. Так, зазначається, що інформаційні джерела можуть призводити до підвищення тривожності, зниження уваги, розладу пам’яті, депресії.Метою статті є здійснення аналізу популярних серед студентів-медиків інтернет-ресурсів та їх впливу на формування інтернет-адикції в представників цих академічних груп.Методи. Для вирішення поставлених завдань використано комплекс теоретичних методів дослідження: вивчення і аналіз психологічної літератури з теми статті, узагальнення і систематизацію мате-ріалів, що дало можливість охарактеризувати основні аспекти, за якими ведуться наукові дослідження явищ інтернет-залежності. Результати. Проаналізовано популярні інтернет-ресурси та їх використання як чинників формування інтернет-залежності в студентів. зазначено, що поодиноке використання інтернет-ресурсів, спрямованих на медичну галузь, не може призвести до інтернет-залежності (за умови правильної організації та використання). З’ясовано, що інтернет-залежність негативно впливає на успішність студентів та професійність майбутніх лікарів.Висновки. Для зменшення наслідків впливу Інтернету на його користувачів, зокрема студентів-медиків, необхідною є комплексна організаційна робота самих студентів, викладачів та кураторів курсів. Основним завданням є скорочення часу перебування здобувачів освіти в інтернет-просторі для розв’язку навчальних завдань, що дасть змогу зберегти психічне здоров’я майбутніх лікарів та запобігти зниженню якості надання медичних послуг.Ключові слова: медична інформація, навчання, психічне захворювання, тривожність, увага, пам’ять, депресія, інтернет-ресурс, інтернет-залежність, студент.

A survey of Canadian medical oncologists on internet use for medical information and a needs assessment for an oncology education website

2007 ◽  
Vol 25 (18_suppl) ◽  
pp. 17072-17072
Author(s):  
S. Verma ◽  
L. Horn ◽  
J. Chung ◽  
S. Vijayaratnam ◽  
S. Berry
Keyword(s):  
Internet Use ◽  
Medical Information ◽  
Comfort Level ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Related Information ◽  
Oncology Education ◽  
Local Institution ◽  
Medical Oncologists ◽  
Clinical Questions

17072 Background: The internet offers an innovative resource for medical oncologists to share and discuss important medical information and advances. Despite the existence of many websites with oncology related information, there has not been a comprehensive assessment of how Canadian medical oncologists use the internet to access this information. Purpose: In the first phase of developing a new educational website (OncologyEducation.com), we surveyed Canadian medical oncologists to determine how they used the internet to access information and to assess their needs for a web based educational resource. Method: A structured survey was developed and assessed for face and content validity by medical oncologists from our local institution. The survey had several domains including: comfort level with computers, description of internet use for work, and key features they would want in an educational website. The survey was sent to all medical oncologists in Canada via regular mail and e-mail. Results: 58 % (144/247) of medical oncologists responded to our survey. The number of years in practice varied from <5 yrs (31%) to 5–10 yrs (30%), and 11–20 years (15%) with 85% having an academic appointment. 90% of respondents were comfortable with using a computer. The most common reasons for internet use were email (91%), literature updates (78%), and answering clinical questions (72%). 27% of respondents used the internet for clinical questions daily, and 29% on a weekly basis. 49% accessed the internet for work-related information for 1–5 hours weekly, 26% for 6–10 hours weekly, and 20% for more than 11hrs weekly. Respondents expressed a need for an educational website stressing the following content: (1) Canadian Oncologists Database to improve opportunities for collaboration (2) Key updates by disease sites (3) Access to information about upcoming conferences. Conclusion: The internet plays a major role in the daily clinical activities of Canadian medical oncologists. The development of an education website based on the needs assessed in this survey is warranted. We are currently developing this site (OncologyEducation.com) and plan to evaluate on an ongoing basis. No significant financial relationships to disclose.

Quality and accessibility of oncology-related clinical trials information: A content analysis of Internet media.

2013 ◽  
Vol 31 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. 6547-6547
Author(s):  
Gregory Alan Abel ◽  
Angel Cronin ◽  
Angela Stroupe ◽  
Kristofer Earles ◽  
Stacy W. Gray
Keyword(s):  
Prostate Cancer ◽  
Lung Cancer ◽  
Clinical Trial ◽  
Clinical Trials ◽  
Cancer Treatment ◽  
Observer Agreement ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Communication Tool ◽  
Treatment Information ◽  
Few Data

6547 Background: The Internet is a communication tool that may be used to improve awareness of and access to cancer-related clinical trials; however, few data characterize how the Internet may encourage clinical trial education and accrual. Methods: In January of 2013, we simulated the experience of a user without knowledge of clinical trials by simply searching “breast cancer treatment”; “lung cancer treatment”; “MDS treatment”; and “prostate cancer treatment” in three popular search engines (Google, Bing, and Yahoo). The top ten unsponsored websites for each were recorded, after eliminating news articles and duplications. Sites were independently evaluated for quality and accessibility by two coders, and discordant data were resolved by consensus. Differences in content by disease type were evaluated using Fisher’s exact tests. Results: The searches yielded 40 unique websites. Before consensus, inter-observer agreement ranged from 75% to 100% (average kappa .67). Overall, 85% of the sites (95% CI: 70% to 94%) mentioned clinical trials on the landing page. Selected measures of quality and accessibility are detailed in the table. Lung cancer and MDS sites were less likely to have interactive features as compared to breast and prostate cancer sites (20% vs. 82%, p=0.004). Conclusions: These data suggest that basic clinical trial information is widely available for naive users searching for cancer treatment information. The quality of that information is highly variable, with only about three-quarters of sites defining clinical trials, one-half providing information about the benefits and risks of enrollment, and only one third of sites Health on Net certified. Moreover, for certain cancers, few sites offer interactive features to facilitate access to information about relevant clinical trials. [Table: see text]

Quality and Accessibility of Autism Treatment Information on the Internet

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lindsay A. Deling ◽  
Erin Olufs ◽  
Katherine Frazier ◽  
Nicole Kressin ◽  
Michael B. Himle
Keyword(s):  
The Internet ◽  
Treatment Information ◽  
Autism Treatment

Executive Dysfunction Mediates the Association Between Older Age and Online Health Information Search Performance

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Victoria Kordovski ◽  
Savanna M. Tierney ◽  
Samina Rahman ◽  
Luis D. Medina ◽  
Michelle A. Babicz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Executive Functions ◽  
Information Search ◽  
Search Task ◽  
Executive Dysfunction ◽  
Older Age ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Related Information ◽  
Health Related

Objective: Searching the Internet for health-related information is a complex and dynamic goal-oriented process that places demands on executive functions, which are higher-order cognitive abilities that are known to deteriorate with older age. This study aimed to examine the effects of older age on electronic health (eHealth) search behavior, and to determine whether executive functions played a mediating role in that regard. Method: Fifty younger adults (≤ 35 years) and 41 older adults (≥50 years) completed naturalistic eHealth search tasks involving fact-finding (Fact Search) and symptom diagnosis (Symptom Search), a neurocognitive battery, and a series of questionnaires. Results: Multiple regression models with relevant covariates revealed that older adults were slower and less accurate than younger adults on the eHealth Fact Search task, but not on the eHealth Symptom Search task. Nevertheless, executive functions mediated the relationship between older age and eHealth Fact Search and Symptom Search accuracy. Conclusions: Older adults can experience difficulty searching the Internet for some health-related information, which is at least partly attributable to executive dysfunction. Future studies are needed to determine the benefits of training in the organizational and strategic aspects of Internet search for older adults and whether these findings are applicable to clinical populations with executive dysfunction.

Cancer and Cancer Treatment-Related Cognitive Impairment

2019 ◽  
pp. 60-83
Author(s):  
James C.  Root ◽  
Elizabeth Ryan ◽  
Tim A. Ahles
Keyword(s):  
Cancer Survivors ◽  
Cancer Treatment ◽  
Clinical Presentation ◽  
Functional Neuroimaging ◽  
Theoretical Models ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Cognitive Changes ◽  
Central Nervous System Cancer ◽  
Pharmacologic Treatments

As the population of cancer survivors has grown into the millions, there is increasing emphasis on understanding how late effects of treatment impact survivors’ ability return to work/school, ability to function and live independently, and overall quality of life. Cognitive changes are one of the most feared problems among cancer survivors. This chapter describes the growing literature examining cognitive changes associated with non-central nervous system cancer and cancer treatment. Typical elements of cancer treatment are discussed, followed by a description of clinical presentation, self-reported and objectively assessed cognitive findings, and results of structural and functional neuroimaging research. Genetic and other risk factors for cognitive decline following treatment are identified and discussed, together with biomarkers and animal models of treatment-related effects. This is followed by a discussion of behavioral and pharmacologic treatments. Finally, challenges and recommendations for future research are provided to help guide subsequent research and theoretical models.

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