The quality of online consumer health information at the intersection of complementary and alternative medicine and arthritis
Abstract Background Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use is prevalent among patients living with arthritis. Such patients often seek information online, for the purpose of gaining a second opinion to their healthcare provider or even self-medication. Little is known about the quality of...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2021-01-01
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| Series: | Advances in Rheumatology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s42358-021-00162-y |
| _version_ | 1818923252031946752 |
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| author | Jeremy Y. Ng Alexandra Vacca Tanya Jain |
| author_facet | Jeremy Y. Ng Alexandra Vacca Tanya Jain |
| author_sort | Jeremy Y. Ng |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use is prevalent among patients living with arthritis. Such patients often seek information online, for the purpose of gaining a second opinion to their healthcare provider or even self-medication. Little is known about the quality of web-based consumer health information at the intersection of CAM and arthritis; thus, investigating the quality of websites containing this information was the purpose of this study. Methods Four unique search terms were searched on Google across four English-speaking countries. We assessed the first 20 results of each search, including them if they contained CAM consumer health information for the treatment and/or management of arthritis. Eligible websites were assessed in duplicate using the DISCERN instrument, which consists of 16-items designed to assess quality. Results Of total of 320 webpages, 239 were duplicates, and a total of 38 unique websites were deemed eligible and assessed using the DISCERN instrument. The mean summed DISCERN scores across all websites was 55.53 (SD = 9.37). The mean score of the overall quality of each website was 3.71 (SD = 0.63), thus the majority of websites are ranked as slightly above ‘fair’ quality. Conclusion Eligible websites generally received scores better than ‘moderate’ in terms of overall quality. Several shortcomings included a lack of transparency surrounding references used and underreporting of risks associated with treatment options. These results suggest that health providers should be vigilant of the variable quality of information their patients may be accessing online and educate them on how to identify high quality resources. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-20T02:06:28Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-2b7c6da7b3f84b6cbf41163ac5807bea |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2523-3106 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-20T02:06:28Z |
| publishDate | 2021-01-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Advances in Rheumatology |
| spelling | doaj.art-2b7c6da7b3f84b6cbf41163ac5807bea2022-12-21T19:57:11ZengBMCAdvances in Rheumatology2523-31062021-01-0161111710.1186/s42358-021-00162-yThe quality of online consumer health information at the intersection of complementary and alternative medicine and arthritisJeremy Y. Ng0Alexandra Vacca1Tanya Jain2Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, Faculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University, Michael G. DeGroote Centre for Learning and DiscoveryDepartment of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, Faculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University, Michael G. DeGroote Centre for Learning and DiscoveryDepartment of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, Faculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University, Michael G. DeGroote Centre for Learning and DiscoveryAbstract Background Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use is prevalent among patients living with arthritis. Such patients often seek information online, for the purpose of gaining a second opinion to their healthcare provider or even self-medication. Little is known about the quality of web-based consumer health information at the intersection of CAM and arthritis; thus, investigating the quality of websites containing this information was the purpose of this study. Methods Four unique search terms were searched on Google across four English-speaking countries. We assessed the first 20 results of each search, including them if they contained CAM consumer health information for the treatment and/or management of arthritis. Eligible websites were assessed in duplicate using the DISCERN instrument, which consists of 16-items designed to assess quality. Results Of total of 320 webpages, 239 were duplicates, and a total of 38 unique websites were deemed eligible and assessed using the DISCERN instrument. The mean summed DISCERN scores across all websites was 55.53 (SD = 9.37). The mean score of the overall quality of each website was 3.71 (SD = 0.63), thus the majority of websites are ranked as slightly above ‘fair’ quality. Conclusion Eligible websites generally received scores better than ‘moderate’ in terms of overall quality. Several shortcomings included a lack of transparency surrounding references used and underreporting of risks associated with treatment options. These results suggest that health providers should be vigilant of the variable quality of information their patients may be accessing online and educate them on how to identify high quality resources.https://doi.org/10.1186/s42358-021-00162-yArthritisComplementary and alternative medicineQuality of informationConsumer health informationInformation assessmentDISCERN |
| spellingShingle | Jeremy Y. Ng Alexandra Vacca Tanya Jain The quality of online consumer health information at the intersection of complementary and alternative medicine and arthritis Advances in Rheumatology Arthritis Complementary and alternative medicine Quality of information Consumer health information Information assessment DISCERN |
| title | The quality of online consumer health information at the intersection of complementary and alternative medicine and arthritis |
| title_full | The quality of online consumer health information at the intersection of complementary and alternative medicine and arthritis |
| title_fullStr | The quality of online consumer health information at the intersection of complementary and alternative medicine and arthritis |
| title_full_unstemmed | The quality of online consumer health information at the intersection of complementary and alternative medicine and arthritis |
| title_short | The quality of online consumer health information at the intersection of complementary and alternative medicine and arthritis |
| title_sort | quality of online consumer health information at the intersection of complementary and alternative medicine and arthritis |
| topic | Arthritis Complementary and alternative medicine Quality of information Consumer health information Information assessment DISCERN |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s42358-021-00162-y |
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