The Internet for Pathologists: A Simple Schema for Evaluating Pathology-Related Web Sites and a Catalog of Sites Useful for Practicing Pathologists

2005 ◽  
Vol 129 (6) ◽  
pp. 742-746
Author(s):  
Geoffrey Talmon ◽  
Neil A. Abrahams
Keyword(s):  
Simple Group ◽  
Web Sites ◽  
Search Engines ◽  
Scoring System ◽  
Medical Information ◽  
Information Source ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Search Term ◽  
Internet Search ◽  
Simple Schema

Abstract Context.—With the increasing popularity of the Internet as a primary medical information source, it is critical for pathologists to be able to use and evaluate both general medical- and pathology-related Web sites. Several published models for evaluating Web sites prove cumbersome to use and often involve computer- or statistic-based algorithms. Objectives.—To develop a simple group of scoring criteria to objectively evaluate medical Web sites and provide a list of the highest-scoring pathology-related sites that will be useful to the practicing pathologist. Design.—Using 11 commonly used Internet search engines, the top 50 “hits” retrieved from the search term websites for pathologists were scored using 5 criteria, including accuracy, ease of navigation, relevance, updates, and completeness. A possible 6 to 12 points per area were awarded, and the total score was summated. Results.—Scores obtained ranged from 12 to 21. Thirty-five Web sites, all scoring 15 or higher based on these criteria, were listed as most useful. Conclusion.—A simple, easy-to-use, 5-category scoring system can prove useful in evaluating pathology- and medical-related Web sites.

Melanoma Information on the Internet: Often Incomplete—A Public Health Opportunity?

2002 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 134-141 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher K. Bichakjian ◽  
Jennifer L. Schwartz ◽  
Timothy S. Wang ◽  
Janette M. Hall ◽  
Timothy M. Johnson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Web Sites ◽  
Search Engines ◽  
Medical Information ◽  
Kappa Statistic ◽  
General Information ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Kappa Statistics ◽  
Search Term ◽  
Care Providers

PURPOSE: To assess the accuracy and completeness of information regarding melanoma on the Internet, retrieved by use of search engines. METHODS: The first 30 uniform/universal resource locators (URLs) from each of eight search engines using the search term “melanoma” were retrieved for evaluation of accuracy and completeness using a 35-point checklist rating system instrument. Four reviewers independently rated each of 35 sites, and one reviewer rated all 74 assessable sites. Kappa statistics were used to evaluate interrater variability. RESULTS: A total of 74 assessable Web sites were evaluated. The remainder were inaccessible, link pages only, or duplicates. Thirty-five Web sites were each independently rated by four reviewers. The remaining 39 Web sites were each rated by one reviewer. The mean kappa statistic for all variables and all rater pairs for which a kappa could be calculated was 0.824, indicating excellent overall inter-rater reliability. The majority of Web sites failed to include complete information on general information, risk factors, diagnosis, treatment, prevention, and prognosis. Ten Web sites (14%) contained a total of 13 inaccuracies, most relatively minor. CONCLUSION: Medical information retrieved with the search term melanoma was likely to lack complete basic melanoma information and contained inaccuracies in 14% of sites. Health care providers can help patients by recommending comprehensive and accurate Web sites for patient review, by working to create accurate and thorough Web-based health information material, and by educating patients and the public about the variability in completeness and accuracy.

scholarly journals Development of the CUE-tool through an e-Delphi study: The Credible and Usable Evaluation of patient education tool for web-sites (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leonie Klompstra ◽  
Maria Liljeroos ◽  
Johan Lundgren ◽  
Brynja Ingadottir
Keyword(s):  
Web Sites ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Delphi Study ◽  
Medical Information ◽  
Medical Condition ◽  
Information Source ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Clinical Tool ◽  
Education Tool

BACKGROUND As patients are increasingly searching for information about their medical condition on the Internet, there is a need for health professionals to be able to guide patients towards reliable and suitable information sources on the Internet. OBJECTIVE To develop a clinical tool for healthcare professionals to assess the usability and quality of the content of websites containing medical information that could be recommended to patients. METHODS A three round modified e-Delphi study was conducted with 20 health care professionals RESULTS In round one of the e-Delphi study, of the 68 items initially created, 41 items (29 on usability, 12 on content) were rated as important or very important by more than half of the panel and selected for further evaluation in round two. In round two, of the 41 items left from round 1, 19 items were selected (9 usability, 10 content) as important or very important, by more than half of the panel, for further evaluation. As a result of round three, two items were put together as one, leaving the instrument with 18 items in total (8 usability, 10 content). We developed a webpage with the tool (which is free to access) available at: www.cesar-network.com. CONCLUSIONS The CUE-tool can be used to (a) evaluate the usability and reliability of the content of websites before recommending them to patients as a good information source; (b) identify websites that have not reliable content and/or may be difficult for patients to use; (c) develop quality websites by using the criteria in the CUE-tool; (d) identify different qualities between different websites. CLINICALTRIAL

scholarly journals Availability Of Literature On Engineering Ethics In The Internet

2012 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yusof Ismail, Suhaimi Mhd Sarif
Keyword(s):  
Search Engines ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Engineering Ethics ◽  
Training And Development ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Search Term ◽  
Internet Search ◽  
Search Terms ◽  
Search For Information ◽  
And Training

Internet is becoming a popular tool among career-oriented people. Among professionals, some of the engineers use the Internet in their work to search for information. The study is carried out to ascertain comparative availability of the materials on ethics and engineers in four top Internet search engines (ISE’s). Four ISE’s were accessed on 2 February 2011, from 2.21 p.m. to 4.21 p.m. [Gombak Time] using a combination of selected search terms: education, engineer, engineering, ethics, Islam, professional, research, and training. The search results or hits produced by the selected ISE’s were analyzed using a specially created instrument/format. The study computes relative ratios of the coverage of selected terms in relation to the number of hits for selected terms within each ISE. The ratios are obtained by dividing the hits for a search term or combination into the total hits within each ISE. The results of the analysis reveal that the ISE’s contain the highest frequency of materials on engineers and ethics. The findings suggest to engineering students and practitioners of varying capabilities among the ISE’s used in the study to learn about engineering ethics. Limitations of the study and suggestions for further research are included in the study.   ABSTRAK: Internet menjadi alat yang popular di kalangan staf yang berorientasikan kerjaya. Di kalangan profesional, para jurutera menggunakan Internet untuk mencari maklumat dalam kerja-kerja mereka. Kajian ini dijalankan untuk menentukan ketersediaan perbandingan bahan-bahan mengenai etika dan jurutera dalam empat enjin carian Internet (ISE) teratas. Beberapa ISE dicapai pada 2 Februari 2011, di antara 2.21 petang sehingga 4.21 petang [waktu Gombak] menggunakan gabungan terma carian yang dipilih: pendidikan, jurutera, kejuruteraan, etika, Islam, profesional, penyelidikan, dan latihan. Keputusan carian atau ‘hits’ yang dihasilkan oleh ISE terpilih telah dianalisis dengan menggunakan instrumen/format yang direka khas. Kajian itu mengira nisbah relatif liputan terma-terma terpilih tersebut dengan jumlah ‘hits’ bagi kesemua terma bagi setiap ISE. Nisbah diperolehi dengan membahagikan ‘hits’ bagi istilah carian atau gabungan istilah dengan jumlah ‘hits’ dalam setiap ISE. Keputusan analisis menunjukkan ISE yang mengandungi kekerapan tertinggi bahan-bahan berkaitan dengan jurutera dan etika. Hasil kajian menyarankan kepada pelajar-pelajar dan pengamal kejuruteraan bahawa wujud keupayaan yang berbeza-beza di kalangan ISE berhubung dengan potensi bahan-bahan berkaitan etika kejuruteraan. Batasan kajian dan cadangan untuk penyelidikan selanjutnya dimasukkan dalam kajian ini.  Keywords-engineering ethics; internet search engines; literature; training and development

scholarly journals Patients’ Use of the Internet to Find Reliable Medical Information About Minor Ailments: Vignette-Based Experimental Study

10.2196/12278 ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (11) ◽  
pp. e12278 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joyce Kwakernaak ◽  
Just A H Eekhof ◽  
Margot W M De Waal ◽  
Elisabeth A M Barenbrug ◽  
Niels H Chavannes
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Study ◽  
Medical Information ◽  
Search Strategies ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Search Term ◽  
Internet Search ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Mcnemar Test ◽  
Minor Ailments

Background Little is known about the exact process of how patients search for medical information on the internet and what they retrieve. There is especially a paucity of literature on browsing for information on minor ailments, a term used for harmless diseases that are very common in the general population and thus have a significant impact on health care. Objective This vignette-based experimental study aimed to explore what kind of Web-based search strategies are applied and how search strategies, demographic characteristics, and the quality of the visited websites relate to finding the right diagnosis. Additional goals were to describe how searching on the Web influences one’s perception of the severity of the potential diagnosis and whether or not the participants would discuss the information they found on the internet with their doctors. Methods Out of 1372 survey participants, 355 were randomly sampled, and 155 of them were recruited and assigned to one of four clinical scenarios. Each search term they used was classified as one of three search strategies: (1) hypothesis testing, (2) narrowing within the general hypothesis area, and (3) symptom exploration. The quality of the websites used was determined by using the DISCERN instrument. To compare the diagnostic accuracy of the participants before and after the internet search, a McNemar test was used. Chi-square tests were used to describe which factors are related to the chosen search strategy. A multivariate binary logistic regression model was constructed to predict which factors are related to finding a sound diagnosis after searching the internet for health information. Results Most participants (65.8%, 102/155) used the symptom exploration strategy. However, this depends on the assigned scenario (P<.001) and the self-estimated severity score of the symptoms before the internet search (P=.001). A significant relation was found between choosing an accurate diagnosis and age (odds ratio [OR] 0.94, 95% CI 0.90 to 0.98) and the clinical scenario, as well as the use of high-quality websites (OR 7.49, 95% CI 1.85 to 30.26). Browsing the internet did not lead to a statistically significant change in participants’ beliefs about the severity of the condition (McNemar test, P=.85). Most participants (65%) shared their retrieved information with their physician and most of them (75%) received a positive response. Conclusions Our findings suggest that most patients use a symptom-based approach; however, if patients expect the potential diagnosis to be severe, they tend to use a hypothesis verification strategy more often and are therefore prone to certain forms of bias. In addition, self-diagnosing accuracy is related to younger age, the symptom scenario, and the use of high-quality websites. We should find ways to guide patients toward search strategies and websites that may more likely lead to accurate decision making.

scholarly journals Patients’ Use of the Internet to Find Reliable Medical Information About Minor Ailments: Vignette-Based Experimental Study (Preprint)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joyce Kwakernaak ◽  
Just AH Eekhof ◽  
Margot WM De Waal ◽  
Elisabeth AM Barenbrug ◽  
Niels H Chavannes
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Study ◽  
Medical Information ◽  
Search Strategies ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Search Term ◽  
Internet Search ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Mcnemar Test ◽  
Minor Ailments

BACKGROUND Little is known about the exact process of how patients search for medical information on the internet and what they retrieve. There is especially a paucity of literature on browsing for information on minor ailments, a term used for harmless diseases that are very common in the general population and thus have a significant impact on health care. OBJECTIVE This vignette-based experimental study aimed to explore what kind of Web-based search strategies are applied and how search strategies, demographic characteristics, and the quality of the visited websites relate to finding the right diagnosis. Additional goals were to describe how searching on the Web influences one’s perception of the severity of the potential diagnosis and whether or not the participants would discuss the information they found on the internet with their doctors. METHODS Out of 1372 survey participants, 355 were randomly sampled, and 155 of them were recruited and assigned to one of four clinical scenarios. Each search term they used was classified as one of three search strategies: (1) hypothesis testing, (2) narrowing within the general hypothesis area, and (3) symptom exploration. The quality of the websites used was determined by using the DISCERN instrument. To compare the diagnostic accuracy of the participants before and after the internet search, a McNemar test was used. Chi-square tests were used to describe which factors are related to the chosen search strategy. A multivariate binary logistic regression model was constructed to predict which factors are related to finding a sound diagnosis after searching the internet for health information. RESULTS Most participants (65.8%, 102/155) used the symptom exploration strategy. However, this depends on the assigned scenario (<italic>P</italic>&lt;.001) and the self-estimated severity score of the symptoms before the internet search (<italic>P</italic>=.001). A significant relation was found between choosing an accurate diagnosis and age (odds ratio [OR] 0.94, 95% CI 0.90 to 0.98) and the clinical scenario, as well as the use of high-quality websites (OR 7.49, 95% CI 1.85 to 30.26). Browsing the internet did not lead to a statistically significant change in participants’ beliefs about the severity of the condition (McNemar test, <italic>P</italic>=.85). Most participants (65%) shared their retrieved information with their physician and most of them (75%) received a positive response. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that most patients use a symptom-based approach; however, if patients expect the potential diagnosis to be severe, they tend to use a hypothesis verification strategy more often and are therefore prone to certain forms of bias. In addition, self-diagnosing accuracy is related to younger age, the symptom scenario, and the use of high-quality websites. We should find ways to guide patients toward search strategies and websites that may more likely lead to accurate decision making.

Assisting Users Seeking Medical Information through Government Portals

2011 ◽  
pp. 404-413
Author(s):  
Jane Moon
Keyword(s):  
Web Sites ◽  
Evidence Based Medicine ◽  
Medical Information ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Web Pages ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Based Medicine ◽  
Functional Components ◽  
Enormous Number

There has been an explosion in the number of different types of portals in the last decade, and at the same time there has been a lot of confusion with them, especially in relation to the enormous number of portals and their differences from Web sites or Web-pages. This coincides with increased use by consumers seeking medical information on the Internet, and with the important role played by medical portals for evidence based medicine. This article explores current portal technology available from an evaluation of market leaders in the industry and identifies important functional components that are necessary in building an intelligent portal to assist users seeking information on the Internet. The emphasis will be on government to consumer portals (G2C) and uses two reputable government portals Betterhealth and Healthinsite as examples to discuss issues involved with those.

Radiation therapists and the Internet: a perspective from Australia

2009 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 137-146
Author(s):  
Madeleine Shanahan
Keyword(s):  
Professional Learning ◽  
Medical Information ◽  
Information Source ◽  
Professional Knowledge ◽  
Internet Access ◽  
Postal Survey ◽  
Cochrane Library ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Mandatory Requirement

AbstractThe Internet is an important information source for health practitioners; yet little is known of how radiation therapists (RTs) are currently using this vast information resource for their professional learning. In 2007, a four-page postal survey was sent to a random sample of 1,142 Medical Radiation Science practitioners with a response rate of 32.8%, which included 76 RTs. This paper reports and analyses the questionnaire responses from RTs on the use of the Internet to update their professional knowledge and issues affecting accessibility to the Internet in the workplace. This research provides an initial data set on the professional use of Internet-based tools and resources by Australian RTs. It has been shown that the Internet is an important information source widely used by RTs as they search the Internet (89%), access specific web pages (85%), use e-mail (84%) and listservs (49%) to update their professional knowledge. Although all RTs reported Internet access within their workplace, a number of factors have been identified which at present limit accessibility of current quality health and medical information through the Internet to RTs. A large number of RTs were unaware of Internet-based resources, such as Cochrane Library (48%) and GoogleScholar (42%), which support evidence-based practice (EBP) and research. RTs in teaching environments had greater access to computers with Internet access than their colleagues in non-teaching environments (p = 0.044). More RTs in the private sector (22%) reported they had ‘no’ access to the Internet in their workplace than their public sector colleagues (4%, p = 0.037). In addition, RTs in metropolitan workplaces had greater access to protected time during work hours for professional reading or study than their non-metropolitan colleagues (p = 0.000). These issues of non-uniformity of resources across workplaces and knowledge gaps within the profession must be addressed so that all RTs can avail themselves of high quality resources available through the Internet that support them in implementing EBP and meeting the mandatory requirement of updating their professional knowledge.

Internet Resources Available to Otolaryngologists

2002 ◽  
Vol 111 (12) ◽  
pp. 1139-1143 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dimitrios G. Balatsouras ◽  
Dimitrios Kandiloros ◽  
Antonis Kaberos ◽  
Eleftherios Ferekidis ◽  
Stavros G. Korres ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Web Sites ◽  
Medical Information ◽  
Clinical Medicine ◽  
Computer Network ◽  
Academic Departments ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Surgical Equipment ◽  
Extensive Experience ◽  
Accessible Information ◽  
The World

During recent years, the Internet has evolved into the largest computer network in the world, allowing access to vast amounts of information and services. Medical information is increasingly available to both patients and professionals, and ever more biomedical resources are becoming available on-line to assist in research, clinical medicine, and education. The Internet has always provided useful resources to otolaryngologists, implemented at various academic departments and national organizations or by specialists or specific medical web sites offering technical, scientific, and biomedical information. The purpose of this article is to provide as complete a list as possible of the World Wide Web sites accessible through the Internet that are of interest to otolaryngologists. It summarizes different types of resources available, including educational material, audiology sites, outcomes research, discussion lists, research laboratories, publications, medical libraries, news and medical conferences, organizations, academic departments, otolaryngological and medical resources, medical and surgical equipment and suppliers, and miscellaneous other sites of interest to otolaryngologists. This review is intended to present the wealth of the accessible information on the Internet and to promote the use of the network to otolaryngologists who do not have extensive experience in computers or telecommunications.

scholarly journals Internet search engines and ways to improve quality of inquiries fulfillment when searching for scientific information on the Internet

2016 ◽  
pp. 79-87
Author(s):  
Yury Smirnov
Keyword(s):  
Search Engines ◽  
Search Algorithm ◽  
Scientific Information ◽  
Information Organization ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Internet Search ◽  
Popular Method ◽  
Combined Use ◽  
Internet Information

Existing Internet search engines are analyzed. Tagging, with its advantages and drawbacks, is examined as a popular method of Internet information organization and classification. The author concludes that every search engine is unique for its search algorithm, and combined use of many is seen and the most efficient for users.

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