A systematic method for reviewing and analysing health information on consumer‐oriented websites

Rew, Lynn; Saenz, Ashley; Walker, Lorraine O.

doi:10.1111/jan.13726

Cited by 21 publications

(39 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…The analysis was guided by current recommendations for systematic evaluation of web-based information [24], including reliability, quality of information about the examination, comprehensiveness, and readability. The last author, a specialist nurse-midwife and researcher, assessed the included websites.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The methods in this study adhere to current guidelines for systematic evaluations of websites as described in the literature [24]. We designed the searches to resemble search patterns among the public, based on the results of previous research.…”

Section: Data Collectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The DISCERN instrument, which is a valid and reliable tool [28], was used to assess the reliability and quality of information about the examination. DISCERN is used extensively in research and is recommended in the literature as a measure of quality in web-based sources [24]. In total, the instrument includes three subscales: reliability (eight questions), information about the examination (seven questions), and overall quality (one question).…”

Section: Reliability and Quality Of Information About The Examinationmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Quality of consumer-oriented websites containing information about the second trimester ultrasound examination during pregnancy

Georgsson

Carlsson

2020

BMC Pregnancy Childbirth

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Background: Providing information about prenatal tests is a clinical challenge and the public frequently accesses the Web to read pregnancy-related information. The overarching aim of this study was to investigate the quality of consumer-oriented websites addressing obstetric ultrasound examination in the second trimester of pregnancy. Methods: Swedish websites were identified with Google, using 20 search strings and screening 400 hits (n = 71 included websites). Reliability and information about the examination were assessed with the DISCERN instrument, completeness was assessed according to national guidelines, and readability analyzed with the Readability Index. Popularity was determined with the ALEXA tool and search rank was determined according to Google hit lists. Results: The mean total DISCERN score was 29.7/80 (SD 11.4), with > 50% having low quality for 15 of the 16 questions. The mean completeness score was 6.8/24 (SD 4.5). The Readability Index ranged between 22 and 63, with a mean of 42.7 (SD 6.8), indicating difficult readability. Weak and non-significant correlations were observed between ALEXA/search rank and the investigated quality variables, except for search rank and reliability.Conclusions: The quality of consumer-oriented websites addressing the second trimester ultrasound examination is low. Health professionals need to discuss this with expectant parents considering undergoing the examination. There is a need for efforts that aim to improve the poor quality of online sources in the field of prenatal examinations.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Data Collectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Reliability and Quality Of Information About The Examinationmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Quality of consumer-oriented websites containing information about the second trimester ultrasound examination during pregnancy

Georgsson

Carlsson

2020

BMC Pregnancy Childbirth

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“…Transparency, which may also be referred to as technical criteria or proxy indicators, is another identified dimension of importance and refers to the details presented on the web page concerning the quality of the production (Burkell, ; Eysenbach et al, ). Readability, which refers to the extent that information consumers can read and understand the information provided in the web page, is also emphasized in the literature as an essential dimension of quality (Rew, Saenz, & Walker, ; Tao et al, ). Considering the multidimensional components of quality, there is still a lack of studies that investigate dimensions of quality, other than accuracy, in the context of medical abortion in the second trimester of pregnancy.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Readability, which refers to the extent that information consumers can read and understand the information provided in the web page, is also emphasized in the literature as an essential dimension of quality (Rew, Saenz, & Walker, 2018;Tao et al, 2017). Considering the multidimensional components of quality, there is still a lack of studies that investigate dimensions of quality, other than accuracy, in the context of medical abortion in the second trimester of pregnancy.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quality of web pages about second‐trimester medical abortion: A cross‐sectional study of readability, comprehensiveness, and transparency

Georgsson

Spoel

Ferm

et al. 2019

Journal of Advanced Nursing

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Aims To investigate the readability, comprehensiveness and transparency of web pages about medical abortion in the second trimester of pregnancy. Design A cross‐sectional descriptive study of Swedish web pages. Methods Six systematic searches were performed in Google during January 2017. The first 10 hits of each search were screened, resulting in 46 included Swedish web pages. The web pages were analyzed with readability index (LIX) to investigate readability, inductive manifest content analysis to investigate comprehensiveness, and Journal of the Medical Association benchmarks to investigate transparency. Results Median LIX was 29.0 and the largest proportion had LIX 31–40 (N = 17), indicating moderate readability. Visual components were observed in 13 websites. Content analysis resulted in 12 categories illustrating comprehensiveness, but eight of these were only included in ≤50% web pages. With regard to transparency, 29 (63%) adhered to no benchmark, 15 (33%) adhered to one benchmark, and 2 (4%) adhered to two benchmarks. Most web pages were written or reviewed by laypersons (N = 25) and health professionals (N = 11). Conclusion The results indicate that web pages about medical abortion have moderate readability, varied comprehensiveness and poor transparency. Impact Health professionals need to acknowledge the risk of contact with web‐based information about poor quality. There is a need for research that aims to increase the chances that patients encounter high‐quality web‐based information about medical abortion in the second trimester of pregnancy.

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What's out there for parents? A systematic review of online information about prenatal microarray and exome sequencing

Peter

McInnes‐Dean

Fisher³

et al. 2021

Prenatal Diagnosis

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Objective:To identify what online patient information (presented in English) is available to parents about prenatal microarray (CMA) and exome sequencing (ES), and evaluate its content, quality, and readability.Method: Systematic searches (Google and Bing) were conducted, and websites were categorised according to their purpose. Websites categorised as patient information were included if they were: in English, directed at patients, or were a text, video, or online version of an information leaflet. Author-developed content checklists, the DISCERN Genetics tool, and readability tests (the Flesch Reading Ease Score, the Gunning Fog Index, and the Simple Measure of Gobbledygook Index) were then used to assess those sources of patient information.Results: Of the 665 websites screened, 18 met the criteria. A further 8 sources were found through a targeted search of professional organisations, resulting in 26 sources available for further evaluation. In general, this was found to be low in quality, omitted details recommended by national or international guidance, and was written at a level too advanced for average readers. Conclusion:Improvements should be made to the content, quality, and readability of online information so that it both reinforces and complements the discussions between parents and clinicians about testing options during pregnancy. Key points What's already known about this topic?� The Internet is an important source of information for parents during pregnancy � Little is known about the availability and standard of online information about newer prenatal genetic tests like chromosomal microarray (CMA) and prenatal exome sequencing (ES) Michelle Peter and Hannah McInnes-Dean contributed equally to this work.This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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A systematic method for reviewing and analysing health information on consumer‐oriented websites

Cited by 21 publications

References 22 publications

Quality of consumer-oriented websites containing information about the second trimester ultrasound examination during pregnancy

Quality of consumer-oriented websites containing information about the second trimester ultrasound examination during pregnancy

Quality of web pages about second‐trimester medical abortion: A cross‐sectional study of readability, comprehensiveness, and transparency

What's out there for parents? A systematic review of online information about prenatal microarray and exome sequencing

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