Quality of information about mental disease on the Internet: A comparative and longitudinal study of entries form Baidu Encyclopedia and Wikipedia (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jing Ma ◽  
Lisha Jiang ◽  
Jianchen Luo ◽  
Linli Zheng ◽  
Meiou Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Information ◽  
Medical Information ◽  
Mental Disease ◽  
Information Service ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Positive Trend ◽  
Online Information ◽  
Disease Information ◽  
Medical Network

BACKGROUND The Internet has evolved the approaches of medical information spread. Demands of online information searching on mental disease expanded. The Wikipedia and Baidu Encyclopedia are popular information source. Websites with information on mental disease have not been systematically evaluated. OBJECTIVE The research aimed to estimate the quality of mental disease information on the internet and to evaluate all aspects including timeliness to value the information quality from Baidu Encyclopedia and Wikipedia to help users to make better choice. Besides, establishing a perfect relevant online health information examine and supervision system, in order to satisfy public self-help mental medical information service needs. METHODS We retrieved the entries on mental disease from the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems 10th Revision Version 2016 codes on Wikipedia (in English) and Baidu Encyclopedia (in Chinese) in 2018 and 2021. Subject sites were accessed by DISCERN. The comparison between 2 engines as well as 3 years follow-up and timeliness were calculated. RESULTS The number of entries on mental disease we found in 2018 is 34 on Baidu Encyclopedia and 36 on Wikipedia and 37 entries on both Baidu Encyclopedia and Wikipedia in 2021. In 2018, the DISCERN score of Baidu Encyclopedia entries in section 1 and section 3 were lower than those of Wikipedia articles (11.21±4.57 vs 26.25±3.21, p<.001; 2.06±.74 vs 2.53±.94, p<.05). Significantly differences can also be found in total score and all sections in 2021 between 2 engines (total score, 26.29±11.03 vs 44.31±9.77, all 3 sections, p<.001). The DISCERN score of Wikipedia articles during 3 years showed significant increase (all 3 sections, p<.001; total, p<.001). The mean update interval varies greatly from Baidu Encyclopedia (824.79 days in 2018; 945.73 days in 2021) to Wikipedia (34.17 days in 2018;50.46 days in 2021) (p<.001). CONCLUSIONS Despite the general poor quality of mental disease entries in both two engines, Wikipedia expressed to be a better source of online mental disease information compared to Baidu Encyclopedia, with higher reliability, better treatment advice and shorter update interval. Our findings reflected the existing deficit of general website mental health information, suggested a reference for further and better medical network information order. Based on this foundation, it is essential to encourage people to seek professional help rather than believe the ambiguous source information from Internet. The quality of these entries has been improved during 3 years. This positive trend is encouraging that we can expect better online information service in the coming future.

Quality Assessment of Health Information about Scaphoid Fracture in Chinese Websites (Preprint)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yaobin Yin ◽  
Jianguang Ji ◽  
Peng Lu ◽  
Wenyao Zhong ◽  
Liying Sun ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Search Engines ◽  
Medical Information ◽  
Scaphoid Fracture ◽  
Family Members ◽  
Online Information ◽  
Specific Content ◽  
The Mean

BACKGROUND With online health information becoming increasingly popular among patients and their family members, concerns have been raised about the accuracy from the websites. OBJECTIVE We aimed to evaluate the overall quality of the online information about scaphoid fracture obtained from Chinese websites using the local search engines. METHODS We conducted an online search using the keyword “scaphoid fracture” from the top 5 search engines in China, i.e. Baidu, Shenma, Haosou, Sougou and Bing, and gathered the top ranked websites, which included a total of 120 websites. Among them, 81 websites were kept for further analyses by removing duplicated and unrelated one as well as websites requiring payment. These websites were classified into four categories, including forum/social networks, commercials, academics and physician’s personals. Health information evaluation tool DISCERN and Scaphoid Fracture Specific Content Score (SFSCS) were used to assess the quality of the websites. RESULTS Among the 81 Chinese websites that we studied, commercial websites were the most common one accounting more than half of all websites. The mean DISCERN score of the 81 websites was 25.56 and no website had a score A (ranging from 64 to 80).The mean SFSCS score was 10.04 and no website had a score A (range between 24 and 30). In addition, DISCERN and SFSCS scores from academic and physician’s websites were significantly higher than those from the forum/social networks and commercials. CONCLUSIONS The overall quality of health information obtained from Chinese websites about scaphoid fracture was very low, suggesting that patients and their family members should be aware such deficiency and pay special attentions for the medical information obtained by using the current search engines in China.

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 Evaluation of the Liver Disease Information in Baidu Encyclopedia and Wikipedia: Longitudinal Study (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fei Sun ◽  
Fuchun Yang ◽  
Shusen Zheng
Keyword(s):  
Liver Disease ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Liver Diseases ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Disease Information ◽  
Classification Of Diseases ◽  
International Statistical Classification ◽  
Research Findings

BACKGROUND The internet has changed the way of people acquiring health information. Previous studies have shown that Wikipedia is a reasonably reliable medical resource, and it has been ranked higher than other general websites in various search engines. Baidu Encyclopedia is one of the most popular encyclopedia websites in China. However, no studies have shown the quality of the content provided in the Baidu Encyclopedia. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to evaluate the quality of liver disease information provided by Wikipedia (in English) and Baidu Encyclopedia (in Chinese) and to perform a comparison of the quality and timeliness of the articles published in these two encyclopedias. Moreover, a 3-year follow-up study was conducted to compare if the information in both these websites was updated regularly over this period. METHODS We searched for information on liver diseases by using the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems 10th Revision Version 2016 codes on Wikipedia (in English) and Baidu Encyclopedia (in Chinese). The quality of the articles was assessed using the DISCERN instrument, which consists of 3 sections. We recorded the latest editing date of the webpages and calculated the date interval to evaluate the update timeliness of these websites. RESULTS We found 22 entries on liver diseases in Baidu Encyclopedia and 15 articles in Wikipedia between September 15, 2016, and September 30, 2016, and we found 25 entries in Baidu Encyclopedia and 16 articles in Wikipedia between September 15, 2019, and September 30, 2019. In section 1 of the DISCERN instrument, the mean (SE) scores of Baidu Encyclopedia entries were significantly lower than those of Wikipedia articles. In section 2 and section 3 of the DISCERN instrument, the DISCERN scores of Baidu Encyclopedia entries were lower than those of Wikipedia articles, but the differences were not statistically significant. The total DISCERN scores of Baidu Encyclopedia entries were significantly lower than those of Wikipedia articles. The update interval of the entries in Baidu Encyclopedia was found to be significantly longer than that of the articles in Wikipedia. CONCLUSIONS This study shows that the quality of articles and the reliability of the research content on liver diseases in Wikipedia are better than those of the entries in Baidu Encyclopedia. However, the quality of the treatment choices provided in both Wikipedia and Baidu Encyclopedia is not satisfactory. Wikipedia is updated more frequently than Baidu Encyclopedia, thereby ensuring that the information presented has the most recent research findings. The findings of our study suggest that in order to find accurate health information, it is important to seek the help of medical professionals instead of looking for a prescription amid the confusing information provided on the internet.

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.

A critical analysis of the literature on the Internet and consumer health information

2005 ◽  
Vol 11 (1_suppl) ◽  
pp. 41-43 ◽  
Author(s):  
J A Powell ◽  
P Lowe ◽  
F E Griffiths ◽  
M Thorogood
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Critical Analysis ◽  
Virtual Communities ◽  
Consumer Health Information ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Online Information ◽  
Consumer Health ◽  
Online Social Support

A critical review of the published literature investigating the Internet and consumer health information was undertaken in order to inform further research and policy. A qualitative, narrative method was used, consisting of a three-stage process of identification and collation, thematic coding, and critical analysis. This analysis identified five main themes in the research in this area: (1) the quality of online health information for consumers; (2) consumer use of the Internet for health information; (3) the effect of e-health on the practitioner-patient relationship; (4) virtual communities and online social support and (5) the electronic delivery of information-based interventions. Analysis of these themes revealed more about the concerns of health professionals than about the effect of the Internet on users. Much of the existing work has concentrated on quantifying characteristics of the Internet: for example, measuring the quality of online information, or describing the numbers of users in different health-care settings. There is a lack of qualitative research that explores how citizens are actually using the Internet for health care.

scholarly journals Examining the Interaction Between Medical Information Seeking Online and Understanding: Exploratory Study

JMIR Cancer ◽  
10.2196/13240 ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. e13240 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rei Kobayashi ◽  
Masato Ishizaki
Keyword(s):  
Health Literacy ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Medical Information ◽  
Likert Scale ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Online Information ◽  
Information Navigation ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Online Information Seeking

Background Online information seeking on medical topics by patients can have beneficial effects by helping them decide on treatment options and fostering better relationships with doctors. The quality of websites and processes of seeking information online have mostly been studied, with a focus on the accuracy and reliability of websites; however, few studies have examined the relationship between other aspects of quality and the processes of seeking medical information online. Objective This exploratory study aimed to shed light on the quality of websites used for information seeking from the perspective of understanding medical information in combination with seeking it online. Methods The study participants were 15 Japanese university students with no problem using the internet. A questionnaire survey about health literacy (47 items on a 4-point Likert scale) and information navigation skills on the internet (8 items on a 5-point Likert scale) was conducted before participants engaged in online information seeking and qualitative interviews. The students searched for information on a disease and its treatment. The websites viewed were gathered from search behavior recorded by software and browser logs. Follow-up interviews were conducted to elicit explanations from the participants about the assignments and their views of online information seeking. The explanations were evaluated by 55 health care professionals on a 3-point Likert scale and then assessed based on their comments and the participant interviews. Results The mean age of the participants was 20.6 years (median 21; SD 1.06). All participants were able to access reliable websites with information relevant to the assignments. The mean ratings of the students’ explanations were 108.6 (median 109; range=83-134) for the disease and 105.6 (median 104; range=87-117) for its treatment. The inter-rater reliability were 0.84 (95% CI 0.77-0.90) and 0.95 (95% CI 0.93-0.97), indicating good and excellent, respectively. The mean of the sum of the health literacy skills was 115.1 (median 115; range=80-166) and the mean for information navigation skills was 25.9 (median 26; range=17-36), respectively. Health literacy and information navigation skills were moderately correlated (r=0.54; 95% CI 0.033-0.822; P=.04). Among the four stages of health literacy, understanding and appraising (r=0.53; 95% CI 0.025-0.820; P=.04) were moderately correlated with information navigation skills (r=0.52; 95% CI 0.013-0.816; P=.046). The participants had no difficulties operating and browsing the internet and considered medical and public institution websites to be reliable; however, due to unfamiliarity with medical terms, they had difficulties choosing a site from the results obtained and comparing and synthesizing information provided by different sites. They also looked for sites providing orderly information in plain language but provided explanations from sites that gave inadequate interpretations of information. Conclusions This study revealed interactions between searching the internet for, and understanding, medical information by analyzing the processes of information seeking online, physicians’ evaluations and comments about the participants’ explanations, and the participants’ perceptions.

scholarly journals Factors affecting the quality and reliability of online health information

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 205520762094899 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gopi Battineni ◽  
Simone Baldoni ◽  
Nalini Chintalapudi ◽  
Getu Gamo Sagaro ◽  
Graziano Pallotta ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Information ◽  
Web Sites ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Medical Information ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Online Health Information ◽  
Online Information ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
The Web

Background Internet represents a relevant source of information, but reliability of data that can be obtained by the web is still an unsolved issue. Non-reliable online information may have a relevance, especially in taking decisions related to health problems. Uncertainties on the quality of online health data may have a negative impact on health-related choices of citizens. Objective This work consisted in a cross-sectional literature review of published papers on online health information. The two main research objectives consisted in the analysis of trends in the use of health web sites and in the quality assessment and reliability levels of web medical sites. Methods Literature research was made using four digital reference databases, namely PubMed, British Medical Journal, Biomed, and CINAHL. Entries used were “trustworthy of medical information online,” “survey to evaluate medical information online,” “medical information online,” and “habits of web-based health information users”. Analysis included only papers published in English. The Newcastle Ottawa Scale was used to conduct quality checks of selected works. Results Literature analysis using the above entries resulted in 212 studies. Twenty-four articles in line with study objectives, and user characteristics were selected. People more prone to use the internet for obtaining health information were females, younger people, scholars, and employees. Reliability of different online health sites is an issue taken into account by the majority of people using the internet for obtaining health information and physician assistance could help people to surf more safe health web sites. Conclusions Limited health information and/or web literacy can cause misunderstandings in evaluating medical data found in the web. An appropriate education plan and evaluation tools could enhance user skills and bring to a more cautious analysis of health information found in the web.

The Quality of Web Sites' Health Information on Minimal Invasive Repair of Pectus Excavatum Using the DISCERN Instrument

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wietse P. Zuidema ◽  
Maarten J. Graumans ◽  
Jan W. A. Oosterhuis ◽  
Alida F. W. van der Steeg ◽  
Ernest van Heurn
Keyword(s):  
Health Information ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Web Sites ◽  
Pectus Excavatum ◽  
Medical Information ◽  
Treatment Options ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Related Information

Abstract Introduction The Internet is a frequently used tool for patients with pectus excavatum (PE) to get information about symptoms and treatment options. In addition, it is used by both health care providers as a marketing tool and support group systems. The Internet health information varies in precision, quality, and reliability. The study purpose was to determine the quality of information on the PE Web sites using the DISCERN instrument, including information about operation and potential complications after a Nuss bar procedure. Materials and Methods Four search engines, Google, Yahoo, Ask, and Bing, were used to explore seven key terms concerning PE. Search language was English. The DISCERN quality instrument was used to evaluate the Web sites. Also, information on possible complications was scored per Web site. Results A total of 560 Web sites were assessed in March 2019. Excluded were 139 Web sites. There were 333 duplicates, leaving 88 unique Web sites. Of these, 58.1% were hospital-related information Web sites, 28.4% medical information Web sites, and 3.4% patient forum sites. Interactive multimedia was used on 21.6% of the sites. Pain postoperatively was mentioned on 64.8% of the sites, while only 9.1% mentioned the mortality risk of the surgical correction of PE for Nuss bar placement. The quality of the unique Web sites showed a mean DISCERN score of 42.5 (standard deviation 12.2). Medical information Web sites, encyclopedia, and government-sponsored sites had higher DISCERN scores. Hospital-related information sites, medical companies, and lay persons' sites, had lower total scores. Conclusion The overall quality of PE Web sites is low to moderate, with serious shortcomings.

scholarly journals Misinformation of COVID-19 on the Internet: Infodemiology Study

10.2196/18444 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. e18444 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jose Yunam Cuan-Baltazar ◽  
Maria José Muñoz-Perez ◽  
Carolina Robledo-Vega ◽  
Maria Fernanda Pérez-Zepeda ◽  
Elena Soto-Vega
Keyword(s):  
Health Information ◽  
Code Of Conduct ◽  
Search Time ◽  
Quality Criteria ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Online Information ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
Search For Information

Background The internet has become an important source of health information for users worldwide. The novel coronavirus caused a pandemic search for information with broad dissemination of false or misleading health information. Objective The aim of this study was to evaluate the quality and readability of online information about the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), which was a trending topic on the internet, using validated instruments and relating the quality of information to its readability. Methods The search was based on the term “Wuhan Coronavirus” on the Google website (February 6, 2020). At the search time, the terms “COVID-19” or “SARS-CoV-2” (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) did not exist. Critical analysis was performed on the first 110 hits using the Health on the Net Foundation Code of Conduct (HONcode), the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) benchmark, the DISCERN instrument, and Google ranking. Results The first 110 websites were critically analyzed, and only 1.8% (n=2) of the websites had the HONcode seal. The JAMA benchmark showed that 39.1% (n=43) of the websites did not have any of the categories required by this tool, and only 10.0% (11/110) of the websites had the four quality criteria required by JAMA. The DISCERN score showed that 70.0% (n=77) of the websites were evaluated as having a low score and none were rated as having a high score. Conclusions Nonhealth personnel and the scientific community need to be aware about the quality of the information they read and produce, respectively. The Wuhan coronavirus health crisis misinformation was produced by the media, and the misinformation was obtained by users from the internet. The use of the internet has a risk to public health, and, in cases like this, the governments should be developing strategies to regulate health information on the internet without censuring the population. By February 6, 2020, no quality information was available on the internet about COVID-19.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document