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Evaluation of internet websites about retinopathy of prematurity patient education
1Department of Ophthalmology, Federal University of São Paulo, Brazil.
Insights
Online information on retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is abundant but often incomplete. This study found that most internet resources offer fair or poor quality content regarding ROP diagnosis and treatment.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Neonatology
- Medical Informatics
Background:
- Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) requires timely diagnosis and management for successful treatment.
- Effective information dissemination is vital for improving ROP patient outcomes.
- The internet is a primary source of health information for patients and caregivers.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the quality and completeness of online information available to patients regarding retinopathy of prematurity (ROP).
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional study evaluated internet resources using search engines and specific keywords.
- Website quality was assessed using a scoring system, analyzing readability, general quality, and ROP-specific content.
- Sites were categorized as academic, organizational, or commercial.
Main Results:
- Out of 114 evaluated websites, 40 met inclusion criteria.
- The majority of included websites (62.5%) provided information rated as fair or poor.
- Commercial websites constituted the largest category (55.0%), followed by academic (25.0%) and organizational (20.0%).
Conclusions:
- While substantial information on ROP exists online, most sources are incomplete.
- The quality of internet-based ROP information needs improvement to support patient understanding and management.
Background/Aims:
The success of the treatment in patients with retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is mainly associated with timely diagnosis and appropriate management. Information dissemination is crucial for the outcome of ROP. This study aimed to evaluate the quality of the information about ROP available for patients on the internet.
Methods:
Cross sectional study. In March 2004 the ROP information available on the internet was evaluated using two search engines (MetaCrawler and MSN) and four key terms ("retinopathy of prematurity," "premature eye," "premature retina," and "ROP"). The quality of each website was evaluated using a score system. The sites were classified as academic, organisational, or commercial. Readability, general quality of the website (based on ownership, purpose, authorship, author qualification, attribution, interactivity, and currency), and quality of the content specific to ROP (definition, causes, epidemiology, risk factors, diagnosis, classification, treatment, and prognosis) were analysed.
Results:
Of 114 websites evaluated, 40 were included. 10 sites (25.0%) were academic, eight (20.0%) organisational, and 22 (55.0%) commercial. In the majority of the sites (62.5%) the ROP information was fair or poor.
Conclusions:
A large amount of information about ROP is available on the internet. However, most websites were considered incomplete.
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