An Evaluation of Web Sites Recommended by UK NHS Consultants to Patients With Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis at the First Point of Diagnosis

Wellburn, Shaun; Bettany‐Saltikov, Josette; Schaik, Paul van

doi:10.1097/brs.0b013e31829965bc

Cited by 12 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…These results highlighted the dilemma that patients in China have to encounter when they are in need of more scoliosis related information. Similar to our conclusions, Welburn et al[ 9 ] also reported that the websites recommended by UK NHS Consultants were of poor quality in terms of scoliosis related information, especially the information related to conservative management methods for scoliosis, such as bracing, which has been demonstrated to effectively control the progression of scoliosis based on recent Cochrane reviews [ 20 ]. One possible explanation for the poor quality of online information is the lack of regulation of Internet based information.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 85%

“…No academic sources were found within the first 15 websites listed on each search engine and the average DISCERN score for all websites analyzed was 27.6, which is significantly lower than that reported in the United Kingdom and Ireland [ 9 , 10 ]. The average DISCERN score reported by Wellburn et al[ 9 ] was 37.57, larger than that reported in our study since the websites collected in his study were recommended by consultants. These results highlighted the dilemma that patients in China have to encounter when they are in need of more scoliosis related information.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 71%

“…In addition, Wellburn et al . [ 9 ] reported that the quality of scoliosis related information on the Internet had been demonstrated to be poor and unregulated. Nason et al .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Scoliosis Related Information on the Internet in China: Can Patients Benefit from This Information?

et al. 2015

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BackgroundThere has been an increasing popularity of searching health related information online in recent years. Despite that considerable amount of scoliosis patients have shown interest in obtaining scoliosis information through Internet, previous studies have demonstrated poor quality of online information. However, this conclusion may vary depending on region and culture. Since China has a restricted Internet access outside of its borders, the aim of this study is to evaluate the quality of scoliosis information available online using recognized scoring systems and to analyze the Internet as a source of health information in China.MethodsA survey-based questionnaire was distributed to 280 respondents at outpatient clinics. Information on demographics and Internet use was collected. Binary logistic analysis was performed to identify possible predictors for the use of Internet. In addition, the top 60 scoliosis related websites assessed through 4 search engines were reviewed by a surgeon and the quality of online information was evaluated using DISCERN score and JAMA benchmark.ResultsUse of the Internet as a source for scoliosis related information was confirmed in 87.8% of the respondents. College education, Internet access at home and urban residence were identified as potential predictors for Internet use. However, the quality of online scoliosis related information was poor with an average DISCERN score of 27.9±11.7 and may be misleading for scoliosis patients.ConclusionThe study outlines the profile of scoliosis patients who use the Internet as a source of health information. It was shown that 87.8% of the scoliosis patients in outpatient clinics have searched for scoliosis related information on Internet. Urban patients, higher education and Internet access at home were identified as potential predictors for Internet search. However, the overall quality of online scoliosis related information was poor and confusing. Physician based websites seemed to contain more reliable information.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 85%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 71%

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Scoliosis Related Information on the Internet in China: Can Patients Benefit from This Information?

et al. 2015

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“…Information should be presented in a way that is acceptable and useful for a patient [10]. In a survey among patients with scoliosis and their carers, it was advised that the information should be user friendly and in plain language [11]. For NDI grades of disability have been defined, although these also differ and are based on clinical information and not the patients qualification [2].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Qualification of Outcome after Cervical Spine Surgery by Patients Compared to the Neck Disability Index

Donk¹,

Verbeek

Verhagen

et al. 2016

PLoS ONE

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ObjectiveThe Neck Disability Index (NDI) is a patient self-assessed outcome measurement tool to assess disability, and that is frequently used to evaluate the effects of the treatment of neck-related problems. In individualized medicine it is mandatory that patients can interpret data in order to choose a treatment. A change of NDI or an absolute NDI is generally meaningless to a patient. Therefore, a correlation between the qualification of the clinical situation rated by the patient and the NDI score was evaluated.MethodsPatients who completed an NDI after anterior surgery because of symptomatic single level degenerative cervical disc disease were asked one month after completion of the NDI to qualify their clinical situation of a 5-item Likert scale varying from excellent to bad. Since a clear distinction between the categories was not possible based on the total NDI score, a ROC-curve was built, and the AUC computed in order to estimate best dichotomization in qualification of the clinical situation. The best corresponding cut-off point for the NDI total score was found by studying sensitivity and specificity for all possible cut-off points.Results102 patients were included. The highest AUC was obtained by dichotomizing the qualification into a group with good outcome and less-good outcome. The highest sensitivity and specificity for the dichotomized qualification as good outcome corresponded to a NDI ≤ 7. Sensitivity was 81.08% and specificity was 78.57%.ConclusionThis is the first study that correlated the qualification of the situation by the patients themselves and NDI. An NDI ≤ 7 corresponded to a good outcome according to the patients. This is valuable information to inform patients in their decision for any treatment.

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“…Unfortunately, instead of the internet being a useful tool for providing comprehensive, quality information regarding AIS and treatments, research indicates that the information that is currently on the internet is poor, irrelevant, and misleading (Mathur et al, 2005;Wellburn et al, 2013). For example, studies have found that the information regarding AIS on the internet is not evidenced-based and is inaccurate (Mathur et al, 2005) and lacks information regarding how treatments work, the associated risks and benefits of treatments and how treatment choices can affect qualityof-life (Wellburn et al, 2013). Research indicates that the information acquired online can generate greater confusion and result in unrealistic patient expectations (Ahmad, Hudak, Bercovitz, Hollenberg, & Levinson, 2006).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An exploration of uncertainty in Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis (AIS)

Schwieger¹

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An Evaluation of Web Sites Recommended by UK NHS Consultants to Patients With Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis at the First Point of Diagnosis

Cited by 12 publications

References 13 publications

Scoliosis Related Information on the Internet in China: Can Patients Benefit from This Information?

Scoliosis Related Information on the Internet in China: Can Patients Benefit from This Information?

The Qualification of Outcome after Cervical Spine Surgery by Patients Compared to the Neck Disability Index

An exploration of uncertainty in Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis (AIS)

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