TY - JOUR
T1 - The Quality of Health Information Available on the Internet for Patients With Fecal Incontinence
AU - Kadam-Halani, Priyanka K.
AU - Lee, Daniel D.
AU - Sammel, Mary D.
AU - Arya, Lily A.
AU - Andy, Uduak U.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2019 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.
PY - 2019/3/1
Y1 - 2019/3/1
N2 - Objective The aim of this study was to assess the quality of information available through the Internet for a variety of search terms for fecal incontinence (FI). Methods Using the Google search engine, searches were performed for 4 terms: "bowel control problem," "accidental bowel leakage," "fecal incontinence," and "leaking stool." The DISCERN quality analysis tool and JAMA benchmark criteria were implemented by 2 independent reviewers to evaluate the first 20 search results for each term. To determine if 1 term provided higher-quality information, mean DISCERN and JAMA criteria scores as well as Web site category were compared using analysis of variance and Pearson χ2 tests. Results Mean DISCERN scores for all terms fell in the middle range of possible scores. DISCERN questions addressing risks of treatment options, effects of treatment on quality of life, and gaps in knowledge/differences in expert opinion had the lowest scores across all search terms (range of scores, 1.1-1.7/5). JAMA criteria on authorship and attribution were most frequently missing on average in 48 of 80 and 42 of 80 Web sites, respectively. There were significant differences in mean DISCERN scores among the terms, with "fecal incontinence" yielding the highest mean score. The term "accidental bowel leakage" yielded the highest number of marketing Web sites, whereas "leaking stool" had the highest proportion of social Web sites. Conclusions The quality of available information about FI on the Internet is variable, and key components are often missing. The term "fecal incontinence" yielded the highest quality information of all search terms.
AB - Objective The aim of this study was to assess the quality of information available through the Internet for a variety of search terms for fecal incontinence (FI). Methods Using the Google search engine, searches were performed for 4 terms: "bowel control problem," "accidental bowel leakage," "fecal incontinence," and "leaking stool." The DISCERN quality analysis tool and JAMA benchmark criteria were implemented by 2 independent reviewers to evaluate the first 20 search results for each term. To determine if 1 term provided higher-quality information, mean DISCERN and JAMA criteria scores as well as Web site category were compared using analysis of variance and Pearson χ2 tests. Results Mean DISCERN scores for all terms fell in the middle range of possible scores. DISCERN questions addressing risks of treatment options, effects of treatment on quality of life, and gaps in knowledge/differences in expert opinion had the lowest scores across all search terms (range of scores, 1.1-1.7/5). JAMA criteria on authorship and attribution were most frequently missing on average in 48 of 80 and 42 of 80 Web sites, respectively. There were significant differences in mean DISCERN scores among the terms, with "fecal incontinence" yielding the highest mean score. The term "accidental bowel leakage" yielded the highest number of marketing Web sites, whereas "leaking stool" had the highest proportion of social Web sites. Conclusions The quality of available information about FI on the Internet is variable, and key components are often missing. The term "fecal incontinence" yielded the highest quality information of all search terms.
KW - Internet Information quality
KW - accidental bowel leakage
KW - fecal incontinence
KW - health care information
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U2 - 10.1097/SPV.0000000000000658
DO - 10.1097/SPV.0000000000000658
M3 - Article
C2 - 30807412
AN - SCOPUS:85062647449
SN - 2151-8378
VL - 25
SP - 120
EP - 124
JO - Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery
JF - Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery
IS - 2
ER -