1273 Appendicitis and Patient Information: A Systematic Analysis of Websites Using the EQIP Tool

Background Appendicitis is a common surgical problem amongst the young adult population, who are likely to use the Internet to obtain medical information. This information may determine the health-seeking behaviour of an individual and may delay medical attention. This study aims to study the quality of patient information on appendicitis on the Internet as it has not been previously studied. Method A systematic review of health information on appendicitis available online is conducted using 4 search terms via Google: ‘appendicitis’ ‘appendix’, ‘appendectomy’ and ‘appendicectomy’. The top 100 websites of each search term were assessed using the validated ’Ensuring Quality Information for Patients’ (EQIP) tool (score 0-36). Only websites containing health information intended for the general public were included. Results A total of 119 websites met the eligibility criteria for evaluation. The overall median EQIP score for all websites was 20 (interquartile range 18-22). More than half the websites originated from the USA (53%). 45% of all websites originated from hospitals but 43% of these did not mention qualitative risks from surgery. Incidence rates were only provided for complications and mortality in 13% and 3% of all websites, respectively. Conclusions The assessment of the quality and readability of websites concerning appendicitis by the EQIP tool indicates that most sites online were of poor credibility, with minimal information regarding complication rates and mortality. To improve education and awareness of appendicitis, there is an immediate need for more informative and patient-centred websites that are more compatible with international quality standards.