Abstract
Background: The enormous amount of unmonitored medical information on the Internet prompted this investigation into the quality of pediatric surgery information on the Internet. Methods: The Internet was searched for information on diaphragmatic hernia (CDH), abdominal wall defects (AWD), pediatric inguinal hernia (IH), and pectus excavatum (PE). Websites were characterized, classified, and evaluated for completeness, accuracy and bias toward or against the medical profession. Results: A total of 141 websites were evaluated (N(CDH) = 37, N(AWD) = 49, N(IH) = 26, N(PE) = 29). A total of 59.6% targeted medical professionals, and 46.8% targeted the lay population. A total of 58.2% described symptoms and diagnosis. Etiology, pathology, surgery, postoperative course, and prognosis each were addressed by under 40%. A total of 58.2% were accountable for the information presented. A total of 93.1% were incomplete, 75.7% contained accurate information, and 97.7% were positive or neutral toward medical treatment. Among diagnoses, CDH had the highest percentage of websites owned by academic institutions. PE had the highest percentage of websites owned by lay people. PE websites also were the least accurate. Conclusions: Internet information on pediatric surgery varies significantly in quality. Lay people own most websites targeted at the lay audience, and the information may not reflect the opinions of most pediatric surgeons. Increasing use of the Internet by parents seeking medical information warrants an organized approach to ensure complete and accurate information online. Copyright (C) 2000 by W.B. Saunders Company.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1179-1182 |
| Number of pages | 4 |
| Journal | Journal of Pediatric Surgery |
| Volume | 35 |
| Issue number | 8 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 2000 |
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Keywords
- Internet
- Quality
- Surgery
- Websites
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Surgery
Cite this
Pediatric surgery on the internet : Is the truth out there? / Chen, Li Ern; Minkes, Robert K.; Langer, Jacob C.
In: Journal of Pediatric Surgery, Vol. 35, No. 8, 2000, p. 1179-1182.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Pediatric surgery on the internet
T2 - Is the truth out there?
AU - Chen, Li Ern
AU - Minkes, Robert K.
AU - Langer, Jacob C.
PY - 2000
Y1 - 2000
N2 - Background: The enormous amount of unmonitored medical information on the Internet prompted this investigation into the quality of pediatric surgery information on the Internet. Methods: The Internet was searched for information on diaphragmatic hernia (CDH), abdominal wall defects (AWD), pediatric inguinal hernia (IH), and pectus excavatum (PE). Websites were characterized, classified, and evaluated for completeness, accuracy and bias toward or against the medical profession. Results: A total of 141 websites were evaluated (N(CDH) = 37, N(AWD) = 49, N(IH) = 26, N(PE) = 29). A total of 59.6% targeted medical professionals, and 46.8% targeted the lay population. A total of 58.2% described symptoms and diagnosis. Etiology, pathology, surgery, postoperative course, and prognosis each were addressed by under 40%. A total of 58.2% were accountable for the information presented. A total of 93.1% were incomplete, 75.7% contained accurate information, and 97.7% were positive or neutral toward medical treatment. Among diagnoses, CDH had the highest percentage of websites owned by academic institutions. PE had the highest percentage of websites owned by lay people. PE websites also were the least accurate. Conclusions: Internet information on pediatric surgery varies significantly in quality. Lay people own most websites targeted at the lay audience, and the information may not reflect the opinions of most pediatric surgeons. Increasing use of the Internet by parents seeking medical information warrants an organized approach to ensure complete and accurate information online. Copyright (C) 2000 by W.B. Saunders Company.
AB - Background: The enormous amount of unmonitored medical information on the Internet prompted this investigation into the quality of pediatric surgery information on the Internet. Methods: The Internet was searched for information on diaphragmatic hernia (CDH), abdominal wall defects (AWD), pediatric inguinal hernia (IH), and pectus excavatum (PE). Websites were characterized, classified, and evaluated for completeness, accuracy and bias toward or against the medical profession. Results: A total of 141 websites were evaluated (N(CDH) = 37, N(AWD) = 49, N(IH) = 26, N(PE) = 29). A total of 59.6% targeted medical professionals, and 46.8% targeted the lay population. A total of 58.2% described symptoms and diagnosis. Etiology, pathology, surgery, postoperative course, and prognosis each were addressed by under 40%. A total of 58.2% were accountable for the information presented. A total of 93.1% were incomplete, 75.7% contained accurate information, and 97.7% were positive or neutral toward medical treatment. Among diagnoses, CDH had the highest percentage of websites owned by academic institutions. PE had the highest percentage of websites owned by lay people. PE websites also were the least accurate. Conclusions: Internet information on pediatric surgery varies significantly in quality. Lay people own most websites targeted at the lay audience, and the information may not reflect the opinions of most pediatric surgeons. Increasing use of the Internet by parents seeking medical information warrants an organized approach to ensure complete and accurate information online. Copyright (C) 2000 by W.B. Saunders Company.
KW - Internet
KW - Quality
KW - Surgery
KW - Websites
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0033888927&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=0033888927&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1053/jpsu.2000.8723
DO - 10.1053/jpsu.2000.8723
M3 - Article
C2 - 10945690
AN - SCOPUS:0033888927
VL - 35
SP - 1179
EP - 1182
JO - Journal of Pediatric Surgery
JF - Journal of Pediatric Surgery
SN - 0022-3468
IS - 8
ER -