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Professional information about urinary incontinence on the World Wide Web: is it timely? Is it accurate?
1University of Maryland, School of Nursing, Baltimore, USA.
Objective:
Access to timely and accurate information about urinary continence and incontinence is important to the assessment and treatment of adults with urinary incontinence. The aims of this study were to identify current Web sites containing information about urinary continence that are easily accessible to health care providers and to determine the timeliness and accuracy of the information included on these Web sites.
Methods:
The World Wide Web was searched for sites devoted to health care provider information about urinary continence and incontinence. Two external content reviewers evaluated content in terms of timeliness and accuracy. A table outlining each sites credibility, content, and function was constructed.
Results:
Two hundred sixty-five sites were located, but only 15 met the inclusion criteria. Readability levels ranged from 6.2 to 14.5 years. All sites provided links, and 53% had internal search engines. Most information located was accurate; however, some sites contained dated information. Forty percent of the sites were not dated, and thus determining the currency of the information was impossible.
Conclusions:
The World Wide Web is a valuable tool containing state-of-the-art knowledge about urinary continence that WOC nurses can use to educate themselves and others. However, using critical skills to evaluate the information posted on these and any other sites is essential.