scholarly journals Urologists in cyberspace. A review of the quality of health information from American urologists’ websites using three validated tools

2013 ◽  
Vol 7 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 100-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lih-Ming Wong ◽  
Hanmu Yan ◽  
David Margel ◽  
Neil E. Fleshner
Keyword(s):  
Logistic Regression ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Pearson Correlation ◽  
Code Of Conduct ◽  
The United States ◽  
Census Bureau ◽  
Website Design ◽  
Quality Health ◽  
Us Census

Objectives: To evaluate a sample of urologists’ websites, based in the United States of America (USA), using three validated instruments: the Health on the Net Foundation code of conduct (HONcode), DISCERN and LIDA tools.To discuss how medical websites can be improved.   Materials and Methods: The 10 most populous cities in America , identified from the US Census Bureau, were searched using www.google.com to identify the first ten websites using the terms “urologist + city”. Each website was scored using the HONcode, DISCERN and LIDA instruments.The median score for each tool was used to dichotomize the cohort and multivariable logistic regression used to identify independent predictors of higher scores.   Results Of the 100 websites found, 78 were analysed. There were 18 academic institutions, 43 group and 17 solo practices. A medical website design service had been used by 18 websites. The HONcode badge was seen on 3 websites (4%).  Social media was used by 16 websites.Multivariable logistic regression showed predictors of higher scores for each tool were: HONcode - academic centers (OR 6.8, CI 1.2-37.3, p=0.028) and use of medical website design service (OR 17.2, CI 3.8-78.1, p=0.001);DISCERN - academic centres (OR 23.13, p=0.002, CI 3.15-169.9 and group practices (OR 7.19, p=0.022, CI 1.33-38.93). LIDA tool - there were no predictors of higher scores. Pearson correlation did not show any correlation between the three scores   Conclusions   Using 3 validated tools for appraising online health information, we found a wide variation in quality of urologists’ websites in America. Increased awareness of standards and available resources, coupled with guidance from health professional regulatory bodies, would improve the quality health information on medical websites.

scholarly journals Comprehensively addressing postpartum maternal health: a content and image review of commercially available mobile health apps

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Tucker ◽  
Alan Cuevas Villagomez ◽  
Tamar Krishnamurti
Keyword(s):  
Maternal Health ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Mobile Health ◽  
Rating Scale ◽  
The United States ◽  
People Of Color ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Or Education ◽  
Google Play

Abstract Background The United States is currently facing a maternal morbidity and mortality crisis, with the highest rates of any resource-rich nation. In efforts to address this, new guidelines for postpartum care suggest that mobile health (mHealth) apps can help provide complementary clinical support for new mothers during the postpartum period. However, to date no study has evaluated the quality of existing mHealth tools targeted to this time period in terms of sufficiency of maternal health information, inclusivity of people of color, and app usability. Methods Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) standards were used to review the peripartum apps from the Apple and Google Play stores in either the Health/Fitness, Medical, or Education categories. Apps were evaluated for extent and quality of maternal health information and inclusivity of people of color using an a priori coding scheme. App usability was evaluated using the Mobile Application Rating Scale (MARS) score. Results Of the 301 apps from the Apple and Google Play stores, 25 met criteria for final evaluation. Of the 30 maternal health topics coded for, the median number addressed by apps was 19.5 (65%). Peripartum behaviors were more frequently addressed than peripartum outpatient care topics and peripartum acute health risks. The coverage of maternal health information and inclusivity of people of color in app imagery both correlated positively with the MARS usability score of the app. Only 8 apps (32%) portrayed greater than 24% images of people of color- the percent of non-white Americans according to 2019 census estimates. There was no correlation between MARS usability score and number of app users, as estimated by number of ratings for the app available on the app store. In addition, apps with evidence-based maternal health information had greater MARS engagement, information, and aesthetics scores. However, presence of evidence-based information did not correlate with greater numbers of app users. Conclusions Current commercially available peripartum apps range widely in quality. Overall current app offerings generally do not provide adequate maternal health information and are not optimally accessible to the target users in terms of inclusivity of women of color or app usability. Apps delivering evidence-based information and more usable design are more likely to meet these standards but are not more likely to be downloaded by users.

Depression and Inflammatory Markers in Veterans With Multiple Sclerosis

2021 ◽  
pp. 109980042110500
Author(s):  
Pamela Newland ◽  
Yelyzaveta Basan ◽  
Ling Chen ◽  
Gregory Wu
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Inflammatory Markers ◽  
Pearson Correlation ◽  
Correlation Coefficients ◽  
The United States ◽  
Biological Mechanisms ◽  
The Central Nervous System ◽  
Brain And Spinal Cord ◽  
The Brain

Multiple sclerosis (MS), an inflammatory neurodegenerative disease of the central nervous system (CNS), afflicts over one per thousand people in the United States. The pathology of MS typically involves lesions in several regions, including the brain and spinal cord. The manifestation of MS is variable and carries great potential to negatively impact quality of life (QOL). Evidence that inflammatory markers are related to depression in MS is accumulating. However, there are barriers in precisely identifying the biological mechanisms underlying depression and inflammation. Analysis of cytokines provides one promising approach for understanding the mechanisms that may contribute to MS symptoms. Methods: In this pilot study, we measured salivary levels of interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1beta (β), and IL-10 in 24 veterans with MS. Descriptive statistics were reported and Pearson correlation coefficients were obtained between cytokines and depression. Results: The anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 was significantly negatively associated with depression in veterans with MS (r = −0.47, p = .024). Conclusion: Cytokines may be useful for elucidating biological mechanisms associated with the depression and a measure for nurses caring for veterans with MS.

scholarly journals Evaluating the Quality of Health-Related WeChat Public Accounts: Cross-Sectional Study

10.2196/14826 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. e14826 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fuzhi Wang ◽  
Zhuoxin Wang ◽  
Weiwei Sun ◽  
Xiumu Yang ◽  
Zhiwei Bian ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Information ◽  
Code Of Conduct ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Washington Dc ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Suitability Assessment ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The Status ◽  
Health Related

Background As representatives of health information communication platforms accessed through mobile phones and mobile terminals, health-related WeChat public accounts (HWPAs) have a large consumer base in the Chinese-speaking world. However, there is still a lack of general understanding of the status quo of HWPAs and the quality of the articles they release. Objective The aims of this study were to assess the conformity of HWPAs to the Health on the Net Foundation Code of Conduct (HONcode) and to evaluate the suitability of articles disseminated by HWPAs. Methods The survey was conducted from April 23 to May 5, 2019. Based on the monthly (March 1-31, 2019) WeChat Index provided by Qingbo Big Data, the top 100 HWPAs were examined to evaluate their HONcode compliance. The first four articles published by each HWPA on the survey dates were selected as samples to evaluate their suitability. All materials were assessed by three raters. The materials were assessed using the HONcode checklist and the Suitability Assessment of Materials (SAM) score sheet. Data analysis was performed with SPSS version 17.0 (SPSS Inc, Chicago, IL, USA) and Excel version 2013 (Microsoft Inc, Washington DC, USA). Results A total of 93 HWPAs and 210 of their released articles were included in this study. For six of the eight principles, the 93 HWPAs nearly consistently did not meet the requirements of the HONcode. The HWPAs certified by Tencent Corporation (66/93, 71%) were generally slightly superior to those without such certification (27/93, 29%) in terms of compliance with HONcode principles. The mean SAM score for the 210 articles was 67.72 (SD 10.930), which indicated “adequate” suitability. There was no significant difference between the SAM scores of the articles published by certified and uncertified HWPAs (P=.07), except in the literacy requirements dimension (tdf=97=–2.418, P=.02). Conclusions The HWPAs had low HONcode conformity. Although the suitability of health information released by HWPAs was at a moderate level, there were still problems identified, such as difficulty in tracing information sources, excessive implicit advertisements, and irregular usage of charts. In addition, the low approval requirements of HWPAs were not conducive to improvement of their service quality.

Choice and Conflict about Census Data Adjusting the American Census Count

1991 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 357-398 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael L. Cohen
Keyword(s):  
Census Data ◽  
Political Representation ◽  
The United States ◽  
Political Conflict ◽  
Census Bureau ◽  
Census Count ◽  
Social Fact ◽  
The Us ◽  
Census Adjustment ◽  
Us Census

ABSTRACTThe census is a social fact, the outcome of a process that involves the interaction of public laws and institutions and citizens' responses to an official inquiry. However, it is not a ‘hard’ fact. Reasons for inevitable defects in the census count are listed in the first section; the second section reports efforts by the US Census Bureau to identify sources of error in census coverage, and make estimates of the size of the errors. The use of census data for policy purposes, such as political representation and allocating funds, makes these defects controversial. Errors may be removed by making adjustments to the initial census count. However, because adjustment reallocates resources between groups, it has become the subject of political conflict. The paper describes the conflict between statistical practices, laws and public policy about census adjustment in the United States, and concludes by considering the extent to which causes in America are likely to be found in other countries.

scholarly journals Dietary and herbal supplements for weight loss: assessing the quality of patient information online

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeremy Y. Ng ◽  
Saad Ahmed ◽  
Catherine Jiayi Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Weight Loss ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
The United States ◽  
Consumer Health Information ◽  
Consumer Health ◽  
High Quality ◽  
The Mean ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background Given the high prevalence of dietary and herbal supplement (DHS) use in tandem with the growing ease of internet access, patients commonly search online for consumer health information about these products. One common reason for DHSs use includes weight loss. Healthcare providers need to be aware of the quality of online information about DHSs for weight loss so they can adequately counsel their patients and provide them with guidance surrounding the identification of high-quality information resources. This study aimed to assess the quality of online DHSs consumer health information for weight loss that a “typical” patient might access online. Methods Six search terms were used to generate the first 20 websites on the Google search engine in four countries: Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States (n = 480 websites). After applying exclusion criteria, eligible websites were quality assessed using the DISCERN instrument. This tool is comprised of 16 questions, each evaluated on a 5-point scale. The averages and standard deviations for each DISCERN instrument item, in addition to overall summed scores between 15 and 75 were calculated. Results Across 87 eligible websites, the mean summed score was 44.80 (SD = 11.53), while the mean overall DISCERN score of each website was 2.72 (SD = 0.99). In general, websites detailed and achieved their specified aims and described treatment benefits. However, most websites failed to describe the impact of treatment on overall quality of life and the impact of a no treatment option. The highest-scoring websites were largely government or health portal websites, while the lowest-scoring websites were largely commercial in nature. Conclusion High variability in DISCERN instrument scores was found across all websites assessed. Healthcare providers should be aware of the fact that their patients may be accessing misinformation online surrounding the use of DHSs for weight loss. Therefore, it is important for healthcare providers to ensure that they are providing their patients with guidance on how to identify high-quality resources online, in order that safe, effective, and evidence-based decisions are made surrounding the use of DHSs for weight loss.

scholarly journals A credibility assessment of online breast cancer information

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle Abarca-Cuming
Keyword(s):  
Health Information ◽  
Medical Information ◽  
Code Of Conduct ◽  
Rapid Expansion ◽  
Cancer Information ◽  
Digital Environment ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Written Information ◽  
Health Market

The rapid expansion of the Internet and changes in the health market are giving rise to the emergence of web-based tools for seeking health information. As a result, the Web empowers consumers by allowing them to access important medical information that has traditionally been mediated through healthcare professionals. Along with this growing trend comes the challenge of establishing credibility in a digital environment saturated with health information. One way to begin addressing this challenge is to assess the projection of credibility of health information found online. The purpose of this paper is twofold. Firstly, to develop a better understanding of how projections of credibility might differ between traditional and non-traditional online health sources. The former defined as websites belonging to formal and conventional institutions and the latter defined as informal and unconventional organizations. Secondly, to develop some strategic approaches that might be employed to enhance perceptions of online credibility. This paper conducts a content analysis using the Health on the Net Foundation’s Code of Conduct for medical and health websites and DISCERN, an instrument that assesses the quality of written information about treatment choices (DISCERN, 2012).

scholarly journals You Get What You Pay for on Health Care Question and Answer Platforms: Nonparticipant Observational Study

10.2196/13534 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. e13534
Author(s):  
Fatemeh Ameri ◽  
Kathleen Keeling ◽  
Reza Salehnejad
Keyword(s):  
Health Information ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Design Features ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Platform Design ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Health Advice ◽  
Quality Health ◽  
Advice Quality

Background Seeking health information on the internet is very popular despite the debatable ability of lay users to evaluate the quality of health information and uneven quality of information available on the Web. Consulting the internet for health information is pervasive, particularly when other sources are inaccessible because of time, distance, and money constraints or when sensitive or embarrassing questions are to be explored. Question and answer (Q&A) platforms are Web-based services that provide personalized health advice upon the information seekers’ request. However, it is not clear how the quality of health advices is ensured on these platforms. Objective The objective of this study was to identify how platform design impacts the quality of Web-based health advices and equal access to health information on the internet. Methods A total of 900 Q&As were collected from 9 Q&A platforms with different design features. Data on the design features for each platform were generated. Paid physicians evaluated the data to quantify the quality of health advices. Guided by the literature, the design features that affected information quality were identified and recorded for each Q&A platform. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator and unbiased regression tree methods were used for the analysis. Results Q&A platform design and health advice quality were related. Expertise of information providers (beta=.48; P=.001), financial incentive (beta=.4; P=.001), external reputation (beta=.28; P=.002), and question quality (beta=.12; P=.001) best predicted health advice quality. Virtual incentive, Web 2.0 mechanisms, and reputation systems were not associated with health advice quality. Conclusions Access to high-quality health advices on the internet is unequal and skewed toward high-income and high-literacy groups. However, there are possibilities to generate high-quality health advices for free.

scholarly journals Differential privacy in the 2020 Census will distort COVID-19 rates

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mathew Hauer ◽  
Alexis R Santos-Lozada
Keyword(s):  
Differential Privacy ◽  
The United States ◽  
Mortality Rates ◽  
Census Bureau ◽  
Mortality Data ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Specific Mortality ◽  
Population Sizes ◽  
Us Census ◽  
Population Counts

Scientists and policy makers rely on accurate population and mortality data to inform efforts regarding the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, with age-specific mortality rates of high importance due to the concentration of COVID-19 deaths at older ages. Population counts – the principal denominators for calculating age-specific mortality rates – will be subject to noise infusion in the United States with the 2020 Census via a disclosure avoidance system based on differential privacy. Using COVID-19 mortality curves from the CDC, we show that differential privacy will introduce substantial distortion in COVID-19 mortality rates – sometimes causing mortality rates to exceed 100\% -- hindering our ability to understand the pandemic. This distortion is particularly large for population groupings with fewer than 1000 persons – 40\% of all county-level age-sex groupings and 60\% of race groupings. The US Census Bureau should consider a larger privacy budget and data users should consider pooling data to increase population sizes to minimize differential privacy’s distortion.

scholarly journals Quality and readability of web-based Arabic health information on periodontal disease

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammed Sultan Al-Ak’hali ◽  
Hytham N. Fageeh ◽  
Esam Halboub ◽  
Mohammed Nasser Alhajj ◽  
Zaihan Ariffin
Keyword(s):  
Periodontal Disease ◽  
Health Professional ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Code Of Conduct ◽  
Poor Quality ◽  
Quality Information ◽  
Quality Of Information ◽  
Web Based ◽  
The Mean

Abstract Background Currently, the Internet seems to be a helpful tool for obtaining information about everything that we think about, including diseases, their prevention and treatment approaches. However, doubts exist regarding the quality and readability of such information. This study sought to assess the quality and readability of web-based Arabic information on periodontal disease. Methods In this infodemiological study, the Google, Yahoo!, and Bing search engines were searched using specific Arabic terms on periodontal disease. The first 100 consecutive websites from each engine were obtained. The eligible websites were categorized as commercial, health/professional, journalism, and other. The following tools were applied to assess the quality of the information on the included websites: the Health on the Net Foundation Code of Conduct (HONcode), the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) benchmarks, and the DISCERN tool. The readability was assessed using an online readability tool. Results Of the 300 websites, 89 were eligible for quality and readability analyses. Only two websites (2.3%) were HONcode certified. Based on the DISCERN tool, 43 (48.3%) websites had low scores. The mean score of the JAMA benchmarks was 1.6 ± 1.0, but only 3 (3.4%) websites achieved “yes” responses for all four JAMA criteria. Based on the DISCERN tool, health/professional websites revealed the highest quality of information compared to other website categories. Most of the health/professional websites revealed moderate-quality information, while 55% of the commercial websites, 66% of journalism websites, and 43% of other websites showed poor quality information. Regarding readability, most of the analyzed websites presented simple and readable written content. Conclusions Aside from readable content, Arabic health information on the analyzed websites on periodontal disease is below the required level of quality.

Impact of US population demographic changes on projected incident cancer cases from 2019 to 2045 in three major cancer types.

2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. e19044-e19044
Author(s):  
Jimmy Nguyen ◽  
Pavel Napalkov ◽  
Nicole Richie ◽  
Stella Arndorfer ◽  
Marko Zivkovic ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ethnic Minorities ◽  
The United States ◽  
Census Bureau ◽  
Demographic Changes ◽  
Racial And Ethnic Minorities ◽  
The Us ◽  
Race Ethnicity ◽  
Us Census ◽  
Incident Cases ◽  
Population Demographic

e19044 Background: The United States (US) Census Bureau has forecasted an unprecedented shift in the US demographics by 2045, in which there will be no single majority race/ethnicity. Due to well-characterized health disparities among different races/ethnicities in oncology and projected demographic changes, it is of interest to assess changes in the burden of three most frequent cancers: breast cancer (BC) for women, prostate cancer (PC) for men, and colorectal cancer (CRC) for both genders between 2019 and 2045. Methods: Historical age-adjusted rates (AARs) for BC in women, PC in men, and CRC in patients of all ages and stratified by race/ethnicity were collected from the SEER 18 database for 2000-15 period. AARs for cancers of interest were analyzed in Joinpoint Regression Program to obtain an average annual percent change (AAPC) for 2000-15. AARs were then projected to 2045 by assuming the rate behavior is equal to the AAPC. Projected absolute cases per 100,000 were generated by multiplying projected AARs with the associated projected population, retrieved from the US Census Bureau 2017 National Population Projects, and dividing by 100,000. The absolute change in projected patient numbers of cancer cases by race/ethnicity were assessed between 2019 and 2045. Results: From 2019 to 2045, a decrease of 4% is expected in the White Non-Hispanic (WNH) population while the Black (B), Hispanic (H), and Asian/Pacific Islander (API) populations are projected to increase 24%, 54%, and 57%, respectively. In the same time period, the projected number of BC incident cases for women of all ages decreased by 1% in WNH while the B, WH, and API populations were projected to increase 72%, 98%, and 120%, respectively. In both genders of all ages, a 39% and 17% reduction in the number of CRC incident cases in the WNH and B is expected compared to a 61% and 11% increase in the WH and API populations, respectively. Given observed reduction in PC incidence, especially in men 65+, the number of incident PC cases is projected to decrease by 2045 for all included races/ethnicities. Conclusions: Among racial and ethnic minorities, an increase in the number of BC and CRC cases is expected between 2019 and 2045. Projected decrease in PC cases is likely a result of decrease in incidence rates between 2010 and 2015 and should be assessed as new data become available. Currently, racial and ethnic minorities comprise < 20% of patients enrolled in clinical trials, demonstrating the need to understand biologic and social underpinnings of disparities in clinical outcomes in underrepresented groups.

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