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Pediatric health websites vary greatly in information quality for patients
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Many websites parents use to search for pediatric information provide incorrect or misleading information, and physicians should discuss information found online with patients to prevent misconceptions about patient conditions, according to a recent study by California researchers.
“We found the overall quality of information on the websites to be poor,” Andrea S. Bauer, MD, pediatric hand surgeon at Shriners Hospitals for Children in Sacramento, Calif., stated in a press release. “Broad, non-specific information quality was the best, such as an overview of a diagnosis, while more specific information about prognosis and long-term effects was the worst.”
The study was presented at the American Academy of Pediatrics National Conference and Exhibition in New Orleans.
Bauer and colleagues analyzed 98 websites based on whether they provided summaries of each disease, cause, diagnosis, prognosis and treatment. In addition, three orthopedic surgeons provided an independent quality and content score for each website.
Academic websites offered the most reliable information, with a mean score of 60.8 out of 100, followed by physician and nonprofit-run websites that received scores of 57 and 54.2, respectively. Commercial websites were least reliable, with a score of 46.7.
Regarding specific conditions or disease information, osteochondroma websites scored the highest with 75.8 points, while websites outlining leg length discrepancy scored lowest, with 39.5 points, according to the abstract.
Bauer and colleagues also found that many websites shared text, photos and diagrams copied verbatim from other websites, which could be “very misleading for patients if the information is incorrect, as was often the case,” Bauer said.
Bauer recommended pediatric physicians should inform patients about their condition and expectations, as other websites could have correct or misleading information.
“We advise physicians to talk with their patients about the information they get on the Internet and how it affects their understanding of their condition as well as their expectations,” Bauer said.
Reference:
Winship BJ. Paper #16508. Presented at: American Academy of Pediatrics National Conference and Exhibition. Oct. 20-23. New Orleans.
