Quality of the patient-oriented information on thyroid cancer in the internet |
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| Institution: | 1. Department of Health Management and Economics, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran;2. Department of Global Health and Public Policy, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran;3. Health Equity Research Centre (HERC), Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran;1. Department of Health Information Technology, Khalkhal University of Medical Sciences, Khalkhal, Iran;2. Department of Health Information Management, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran;3. Iranian Research Center for HIV/AIDS, Iranian Institute for Reduction of High Risk Behaviors, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran;4. Ph.D. of Health Information Management, School of Allied Medical Sciences, Zabol University of Medical Sciences, Zabol, Iran;5. Social Determinants of Health Research Center, School of Allied Medical Sciences, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran;6. Social Determinants of Health Research Center, School of medicine, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran;1. Department of Health Services Research, CAPHRI - Care and Public Health Research Institute, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands;2. AHEAD GmbH – Agency for Health Economic Assessment and Dissemination, Waschhausgasse 17, Lörrach D-79540, Germany;3. a2m - Ars Accessus Medica, Amsterdam, the Netherlands;4. Health Economics and Policy Analysis Centre (HEPAC), NUI Galway, Galway, Ireland and Centre for Research in Medical Devices (Cúram) NUI Galway;5. Institute for Health Economics and Health Care Management, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Neuherberg, Germany;6. Munich Center of Health Sciences, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany;7. Department of Clinical Epidemiology and Medical Technology Assessment, Maastricht University Medical Centre+, CAPHRI - Care and Public Health Research Institute, Maastricht, the Netherlands;8. Institute of Applied Health Research, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK;9. Ecole de Santé Publique - Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium;10. Unit of PharmacoEpidemiology & PharmacoEconomics, University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands;11. Department of Health Sciences, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands;12. Department of Economics, Econometrics & Finance, University of Groningen, Faculty of Economics & Business, Groningen, the Netherlands;13. Trimbos Institute - Netherlands Institute of Mental Health and Addiction, Utrecht, the Netherlands |
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| Abstract: | ObjectivesThis study was conducted to analyse the readability and quality of patient education websites about thyroid cancer.MethodsYahoo!, Google and Bing were searched with their default settings using the keywords thyroid cancer, thyroid tumour, thyroid tumor, and thyroid malignancy for relevant websites. The first 50 websites obtained for each keyword and search engine were evaluated using validated Flesch Reading Ease Score (FRES), LIDA and DISCERN scores to assess readability, usability and reliability, and quality of information. Statistical analysis were done using non-parametric tests.ResultsThe analysis included 49 eligible websites selected out of 600 websites obtained from the search engines. Twenty-two (44.9%) web sites had obtained Health on the net foundation code of conduct (HON-code) certification. The included websites had a median FRES score of 55.3(range 25.3–85.3) and the LIDA reliability and usability scores were 22.0(range 14–30) and 39.0(range 28–50), respectively. The median DISCERN score was 48.0(range 33–63). A total DISCERN score of 50% or less (low score) was found in 28.5%(n = 14) of the websites. A significant association was found between LIDA usability and, reliability scores and DISCERN score (p<0.001, p=0.001, respectively).ConclusionThe quality of the websites, readability and usability scores were moderate or low based on the criteria used. Access to quality information may help with better informed decisions on treatment, follow up and prognosis. As the internet use by the public is ever increasing, implementing measures to ensure the quality information without a bias should be considered a priority. |
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