Internet Information for Patients on Cancer Diets - an Analysis of German Websites

Abstract

Background: In recent years, the Internet has become an important source of information for cancer patients. Various cancer diets that are publicized on the Web promise significant benefits. The aim of our study was to evaluate the quality of online patient information about cancer diets. Materials and Methods: A patient's search for ‘cancer diets' on German websites was simulated using the search engine Google. The websites were evaluated utilizing a standardized instrument with formal and content aspects. Results: An analysis of 60 websites revealed that websites from nonprofit associations as well as self-help groups offer the best content and formal ranking. Websites whose owners aim to make a profit, practices that offer cancer diet therapies, and newspapers received the poorest quality score. The majority of content provided on the Web gets published by profit-oriented content groups. Conclusion: The divergence between profit-driven websites offering low-quality content and the few trustworthy websites on cancer diets is enormous. The information given online about cancer diets may turn out to be a hazardous pitfall. In order to present evidence-based information about cancer diets, online information should be replenished to create a more accurate picture and give higher visibility to the right information.

Internet Information on Oral Cancer Drugs: a Critical Comparison between Website Providers

“…However, our study did not identify significant differences for most quality aspects between websites of for-profit and non-profit organizations. This contrasts with the results of the studies by Liebl and colleagues, and Herth and colleagues, which found significant differences regarding almost all quality aspects for for-profit and non-profit providers [11,14]. In our study, online newspapers scored significantly lower on the overall score and on all contentrelated items.…”

“…Herth and colleagues analyzed internet information for patients on cancer diets [ 14 ]. In their analysis, self-help groups and non-profit organizations ranked highest.…”

“…By contrast, for-profit groups, newspapers, and websites of individual physicians ranked lowest. In both studies [ 11 , 14 ], the quality of non-profit websites was higher than the quality of websites provided by the for-profit sector and online newspapers. However, it is not clear if these findings can be applied to other cancer topics, such as oral cancer drugs.…”

Perspectives of healthcare professionals on patient Internet use during the cancer experience

“…All healthcare professionals in this study discussed diets and fad diets amongst their patients with cancer and indicated that most of the harmful diet-related information patients presented was from the Internet. This is corroborated in the broader literature, where a recent analysis of over 30 websites of cancer diet information found discrepancies between for-profit and not-for-profit websites, highly variable information and information that is difficult for patients to sift through (Herth et al, 2016). Clearly, patients need assistance finding the right information, particularly given the concerns raised by numerous professionals.…”

eHealth Literacy in German Skin Cancer Patients

“…Consequently, the Internet has removed many barriers to access health information [ 21 , 22 ]. However, the broad offers of information can be challenging and difficult to filter and comprehend, especially since there is often a discrepancy between the accessibility and quality of information, which then, in turn, can lead to wrong decisions [ 23 , 24 ].…”