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A critical appraisal of internet resources on colorectal cancer
Author(s) -
John A. K.
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
colorectal disease
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.029
H-Index - 89
eISSN - 1463-1318
pISSN - 1462-8910
DOI - 10.1111/j.1463-1318.2005.00882.x
Subject(s) - the internet , critical appraisal , medicine , health care , quality (philosophy) , colorectal cancer , relevance (law) , nice , knowledge management , world wide web , cancer , computer science , alternative medicine , pathology , philosophy , epistemology , political science , law , economics , programming language , economic growth
Objective The significance of the internet as a source of healthcare information for professionals and public is widely recognized. Access to good quality information is very important for informed decisions making on healthcare issues. This is an introduction to the critical appraisal of clinical information on the internet, discussion of the significance of quality checking of healthcare internet resources and the application of critical appraisal tools to selected internet resources on colorectal cancer care. Methods Internet resources were identified on the basis of a general criterion that it provides information on colorectal cancer and selected on the basis of explicit inclusion and exclusion criteria. Each selected website is assessed for quality of information with validated criteria. Results The search strategy identified 10 well known internet resources on healthcare information (e.g. Cochrane, NICE) and 12 websites which are dedicated to cancer related information (e.g. CancerBacup, cancer.gov). The websites of NHS Direct, cancerBACUP, cancer.gov, NICE and Cancer Survivors Network were qualified as resources providing good quality information. Discussion The critical appraisal process assures quality of the available information and the tool is applicable to all healthcare related internet resources. The process is discussed with respect to colorectal cancer information resources and will be equally useful to healthcare professional and public. The healthcare professionals can apply the tool in practice and advise the public more confidently on internet information.