1. AJN, American Journal of Nursing
Issue: Volume 108(6), June 2008, p 20
Copyrig
ht: (C) 2008 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Inc.
Publication Type:
[DEPARTMENT: In the News]
DOI: 10.
1097/01.
NAJ.
0000324364.
58963.
dd ISSN:
0002-936X
Accession: 00000446-200806000-00010 [DEPARTMENT: In the News]
Appraising
Medical Information on the WebPotera, CarolSection Editor(s):
Kennedy, Maureen Shawn MA, RNAuthor InformationE-mail:
shawn.
kennedy@wolterskluwer.
com----------------------------------------------
Outline AbstractAbstractConsumers should view most Web sites with some
skepticism.
----------------------------------------------A study in the March 15
issue of Cancer reports that 5% of Web sites featuring
information on breast
cancer (found throug
h popular Internet search eng
ines) hadinaccuracies or
misleading
statements.
But Web pag
es discussing
complementaryand alternative
medicine were 15 times more likely to contain mistakes thanother Web pag
es.
Moreover, current quality criteria desig
ned to rate onlinecontent can't always
identify inaccurate medical information.
Texas researchers retrieved 343 Web
pag
es about breast cancer, using
fivepopular consumer search eng
ines.
Fifteen
quality criteria were used to evaluateeach pag
e, including
the listing
of author
credentials and affiliations, thecitation of references, and the disclosure of
the site's ownership and creationdate.
Two medically trained reviewers
determined the accuracy of the content bycomparing
information with national
g
uidelines.
Among
18 of the 343 Web pag
es(5.
2%), 41 false statements were
identified.
No one criterion predictedinaccuracy.
Althoug
h breast cancer
information online is g
enerally accurate, theauthors conclude, consumers should
"maintain a healthy level of skepticism ofonline health information, consider
the reputation of the source, and consult anappropriate clinician before taking
action.
"Online information about medications is less reliable, according
to a
reportfrom the Center for Medicine in the Public Interest (CMPI).
Goog
le
searchesabout the adverse effects of the cholesterol-lowering
drug
Crestor
(rosuvastatin)and the diabetes drug
Avandia (rosig
litazone) found that 43% of
results on thefirst three pag
es belong
ed to litig
ators seeking
clients, whereas
none belong
edto professional medical org
anizations.
This is troubling
in lig
ht
of a 2006survey by JupiterResearch and the marketing
firm iProspect that
revealed thatmost people seeking
information online don't search beyond the
first three pag
esof results.
According
to the CMPI, 65% of Internet search
results are biased or unverified.
Web searchers should ask two important
questions: "How do I know this informationis accurate? Where did this
information come from?" The report also notes thatthe best sites for online
medical information include official g
overnment orpharmaceutical sites and
reputable org
anizations like the American HeartAssociation or American Cancer
Society.
It's available at www.
cmpi.
org
.
Carol Potera
![AJN, American Journal of Nursing
Issue: Volume 108(6), June 2008, p 20
Copyrig
ht: (C) 2008 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Inc.
Publication Type:
[DEPARTMENT: In the News]
DOI: 10.
1097/01.
NAJ.
0000324364.
58963.
dd ISSN:
0002-936X
Accession: 00000446-200806000-00010 [DEPARTMENT: In the News]
Appraising
Medical Information on the WebPotera, CarolSection Editor(s):
Kennedy, Maureen Shawn MA, RNAuthor InformationE-mail:
shawn.
kennedy@wolterskluwer.
com----------------------------------------------
Outline AbstractAbstractConsumers should view most Web sites with some
skepticism.
----------------------------------------------A study in the March 15
issue of Cancer reports that 5% of Web sites featuring
information on breast
cancer (found throug
h popular Internet search eng
ines) hadinaccuracies or
misleading
statements.
But Web pag
es discussing
complementaryand alternative
medicine were 15 times more likely to contain mistakes thanother Web pag
es.
Moreover, current quality criteria desig
ned to rate onlinecontent can't always
identify inaccurate medical information.
Texas researchers retrieved 343 Web
pag
es about breast cancer, using
fivepopular consumer search eng
ines.
Fifteen
quality criteria were used to evaluateeach pag
e, including
the listing
of author
credentials and affiliations, thecitation of references, and the disclosure of
the site's ownership and creationdate.
Two medically trained reviewers
determined the accuracy of the content bycomparing
information with national
g
uidelines.
Among
18 of the 343 Web pag
es(5.
2%), 41 false statements were
identified.
No one criterion predictedinaccuracy.
Althoug
h breast cancer
information online is g
enerally accurate, theauthors conclude, consumers should
"maintain a healthy level of skepticism ofonline health information, consider
the reputation of the source, and consult anappropriate clinician before taking
action.
"Online information about medications is less reliable, according
to a
reportfrom the Center for Medicine in the Public Interest (CMPI).
Goog
le
searchesabout the adverse effects of the cholesterol-lowering
drug
Crestor
(rosuvastatin)and the diabetes drug
Avandia (rosig
litazone) found that 43% of
results on thefirst three pag
es belong
ed to litig
ators seeking
clients, whereas
none belong
edto professional medical org
anizations.
This is troubling
in lig
ht
of a 2006survey by JupiterResearch and the marketing
firm iProspect that
revealed thatmost people seeking
information online don't search beyond the
first three pag
esof results.
According
to the CMPI, 65% of Internet search
results are biased or unverified.
Web searchers should ask two important
questions: "How do I know this informationis accurate? Where did this
information come from?" The report also notes thatthe best sites for online
medical information include official g
overnment orpharmaceutical sites and
reputable org
anizations like the American HeartAssociation or American Cancer
Society.
It's available at www.
cmpi.
org
.
Carol Potera](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/appraisingmedicalinformationontheweb-121228130534-phpapp01/85/appraising-medical-informationontheweb-1-320.jpg)
