Malignant websites? Analyzing the quality of prostate cancer education web resources

Kobes, Kevin; Harris, Ilene B.; Regehr, Glenn; Tekian, Ara; Ingledew, Paris Ann

doi:10.5489/cuaj.5084

Cited by 24 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…At the same time, there is a need to improve the quality of prostate cancer websites. When systematically reviewed by Black and Penson in 2006 [38] and again by Kobes et al in 2018 [39], websites containing information on prostate cancer were found to be lacking in currency, attribution, balance of evidence, and comprehensiveness. In another study, only 3 of 62 websites containing information on prostate cancer treatment options were written below the recommended high school reading level [40].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Health-Related Internet Use Among Men With Prostate Cancer in Canada: Cancer Registry Survey Study

Bender¹,

Feldman‐Stewart²,

Tong³

et al. 2019

J Med Internet Res

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BackgroundAfter a prostate cancer diagnosis, men want information about their disease and treatment options. The internet offers a convenient means to deliver health information to patients with prostate cancer. However, there are concerns about the use of the internet among this largely senior population.ObjectiveThis study aimed to determine the patterns and factors associated with the use of the internet as a source of health information among Canadian men with prostate cancer and the features and information required in a website.MethodsPopulation surveys were conducted in four Canadian provinces (British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Ontario) in 2014-2015. Data analyses included descriptive, bivariable, and multivariable analyses. The Pearson Chi-square and univariable regression were used to examine associations between independent variables and health-related internet use. Correlates of health-related internet use were analyzed using multivariable logistic regression.ResultsA total of 1362 patients responded across the four provinces. The mean age of respondents was 69 years (SD 8.2). In addition, 82% (n=1071) were internet users and 71% (n=910) used the internet daily. Further, 65% (n=784) used the internet as a source of prostate cancer information, and 40% (n=521) were confident about using information obtained from the internet to make health decisions. Men who used the internet to obtain prostate cancer information were more likely to be active information seekers (odds ratio [OR]: 4.5, 95% CI 2.6-7.8), be confident using information from the internet to make health decisions (OR: 3.6, 95% CI 2.3-5.7), have broadband internet access (OR: 1.8, 95% CI 1.2-2.7), and have more unmet supportive care needs (OR: 1.05, 95% CI 1.0-1.1). Top features wanted in a website, reported by more than 50% of respondents, were a library of resources (n=893, 65.6%), tools to support treatment decision making (n=815, 59.8%), and tools to help navigate the prostate cancer journey (n=698, 51.2%). Top three topics of information wanted in such a website were treatment options (n=916, 67.3%), disease progression (n=904, 66.4%), and management of side effects (n=858, 63%).ConclusionsOver two-thirds of Canadian patients with prostate cancer surveyed use the internet as a source of health information about prostate cancer, but over half did not feel confident using information from the internet to make health decisions. Being an active information seeker, having confidence in using information from the internet to make health decisions, having broadband internet, and having more unmet supportive care needs were significantly associated with health-related internet use. Future work should examine electronic health literacy interventions as a means to boost men’s confidence in using information from the internet and design websites that include information and features that help men navigate the prostate cancer journey and support treatment decision making and management of side effects.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Health-Related Internet Use Among Men With Prostate Cancer in Canada: Cancer Registry Survey Study

Bender¹,

Feldman‐Stewart²,

Tong³

et al. 2019

J Med Internet Res

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“…An internet search was conducted using the term "cervical cancer" in Google and two metasearch engines (Yippy and Dogpile) on April 25, 2018. These engines were chosen for consistency with previous studies from our research group [15][16][17]. Briefly, Google is used due to its popularity in English speaking countries, while Yippy and Dogpile compile results across an aggregate of engines (including Google, Bing and Yahoo).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The tool was developed in 2009 through a detailed review of available resources for evaluating the quality of medical information on the internet and adaptation of several existing guidelines and validated tools [18]. It has been previously validated for inter-rater reliability and usability by our research group, and has been used to evaluate online information quality for other cancers [15][16][17]. Accountability criteria are derived from the Health on the Internet (HON) code principles and the DISCERN scale, an instrument designed to assist those without content expertise in evaluating written health information [19,20].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Quality of Online Information Regarding Cervical Cancer

Dawson¹,

Ingledew²

2020

Cureus

Self Cite

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The internet is an important source of health information, and yet the quality of the resources that patients' access can vary widely. Previous research has evaluated the quality of information for several types of cancer; however, this has not yet been done for cervical cancer beyond treatment information. The goal of this project was to systematically evaluate the quality of resources for cervical cancer information available against a range of metrics, including content breadth and accuracy, readability, and accountability. Methods An internet search was performed using the term "cervical cancer" using Google and two metasearch engines, Dogpile and Yippy. The top-100 websites returned across all three engines were evaluated using a validated structured rating tool. Results Only 32% of websites disclosed their author and only 38% used citations, while 64% of websites had been updated in the last two years. Readability was at university-level or higher for 19% of websites, and high-school level for 78%. Coverage was highest for etiology and risk factors (93% of websites) and prevention strategies such as pap smears and vaccines (92%); coverage was lowest for prognosis (49%), staging (52%), side effects (47%), and follow-up (25%). When a topic was covered the information was predominantly accurate, and few websites had inaccurate information. At least one social-media platform was linked to by 79% of websites. Conclusions This project highlights the strengths and limitations in the quality of the top-100 informational cervical cancer websites. These findings can inform the dialogue between health care providers and patients around selecting and evaluating information resources. These findings can also inform specific improvements to make online resources for cervical cancer more accessible, comprehensive, and relevant to patients.

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“…Indeed, systematic reviews assessing the quality of health information online have consistently shown that health websites tend to be lacking in currency, attribution, balance of evidence, readability, and comprehensiveness. [25][26][27][28] Although efforts to improve the quality of health information online are certainly needed, the participatory nature of the web means that the internet will continue to include unvetted health information. Therefore, of equal importance are efforts to boost the eHealth literacy of cancer survivors and their ability to triangulate information from multiple sources and participate in improving health information online.…”

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confidence: 99%

The Internet as a Route to Health Information, Support, and Healthcare for Cancer Survivors

Bender¹

2020

Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network

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W ith advances in detection and increasingly sophisticated treatments, twothirds of people who are diagnosed with cancer will become long-term survivors. 1 This means that most cancer survivors will live .5 years after their diagnosis. 1 In fact, it is estimated that there are .16.9 million cancer survivors alive in the United States today, and that number is expected to grow to $22.2 million by 2030 with the growth and aging of our population. 2 The growing number of cancer survivors represents both a success and a challenge, which will require innovative models of care and support. 3 This includes internet use. 4 As explained by Young Adult Cancer Canada, "it takes longer to recover from cancer than to treat it" (Karine Chalifour, BSW, Young Adult Cancer Canada, personal email communication, October 2020). After treatment, cancer survivors must cope with multiple physical, functional, and psychosocial challenges that can diminish their ability to participate fully in work and life and reduce their overall quality of life. 5-7 Many of these supportive care issues are neglected or not adequately addressed because of the fractured nature of care delivery, the lack of survivorship programs or processes or incentives to permit their timely management, 3,8,9 or the patient's location. 10 As a result, many patients with cancer report being dissatisfied with the information and support they receive from health professionals, 11 and struggle with high levels of unmet supportive care needs. 12 The internet offers a convenient and cost-effective way for cancer survivors to access personally tailored health information and support. 13-15 Relevant information from credible health websites can dispel fears, enhance feelings of control, promote self-care, and decrease anxiety, 13,14 and emotional support from online groups can buffer distress by normalizing experiences, thereby lessening negative appraisals of events and promoting coping efforts. 15 Nationally representative, up-to-date data on the prevalence of internet use is needed to inform patient education and supportive care services for cancer survivors. In this issue of JNCCN, using 2013-2018 data from the National Health Interview Survey, Dee et al 4 report on a cross-sectional analysis of general and health-related internet use among cancer survivors in the United States. In this study, more than two-thirds of respondents were internet users, with internet usage increasing over the 5-year period studied. Among this sample of 12,970 adult survivors, general internet use increased from 63.2% to 70.8%, and healthspecific internet use increased from 48.9% to 52.2% between 2013 and 2018. Other population-based studies using data from the Health Information National Trends Survey have reported similar internet use rates among cancer survivors in the United States. 16 Although the internet has the potential to reduce healthcare inequalities by providing individuals with access to information and support that might otherwise be inaccessible, 10 experts have concerns that i...

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Malignant websites? Analyzing the quality of prostate cancer education web resources

Abstract: The reliability of websites presenting prostate cancer information is questionable. There were noted deficiencies in attribution, currency, and readability. While information on detection and treatment is well-covered, information related to prognosis is lacking.

Cited by 24 publications

References 32 publications

Health-Related Internet Use Among Men With Prostate Cancer in Canada: Cancer Registry Survey Study

Health-Related Internet Use Among Men With Prostate Cancer in Canada: Cancer Registry Survey Study

Quality of Online Information Regarding Cervical Cancer

The Internet as a Route to Health Information, Support, and Healthcare for Cancer Survivors

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