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The variation in quality and content of patient‐focused health information on the Internet for otitis media
Author(s) -
Joury A.,
Joraid A.,
Alqahtani F.,
Alghamdi A.,
Batwa A.,
Pines J. M.
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
child: care, health and development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.832
H-Index - 82
eISSN - 1365-2214
pISSN - 0305-1862
DOI - 10.1111/cch.12524
Subject(s) - otitis , the internet , quality (philosophy) , medicine , health information , health care , computer science , world wide web , surgery , philosophy , epistemology , economics , economic growth
Background When symptoms of otitis media appear, parents and patients often access the Internet for health information. We study the content and quality of health information in parent–patient‐focused websites for otitis media. Methods We searched the 3 search engines (Google, Yahoo, and Bing) using “otitis media” and “middle ear infection” then reviewed the top 30 hits for each search. We included sites that were focused on providing patient–patient information about otitis media. A variety of instruments were used to assess website content and quality. Results In 35 included websites, there was considerable variation in content, with the average site having 11 out of 15 informational items potentially useful to parents and patients on otitis media (range 4–15). Across included websites, the mean DISCERN score was 47 out of 80 (low to medium quality), 16 (46%) were HONcode certified, and 8 (23%) fulfilled all the JAMA benchmark criteria. The average website was written at a 9th/10th‐grade reading level. Conclusion The content and quality of health information for otitis media in parent‐and‐patient‐focused websites is highly variable. Although easy‐to‐read, high‐quality websites with complete content are available, the average website sites is difficult to read without a high school education and is difficult to use. Consideration should be given to adopting a standard approach for presenting disease‐specific information to parents and patients.