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Published on: August 1, 2019
Google obstetrics: who is educating our patients?
Anjali J Kaimal1, Yvonne W Cheng, Allison S Bryant
1Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine, San Francisco, CA, USA.
American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology
|June 10, 2008
Summary
Lawyers dominate online information for cerebral palsy and birth trauma, not obstetricians. Healthcare providers should enhance their internet presence to share accurate, reliable health education.
Area of Science:
- Medical Informatics
- Digital Health
- Obstetrics and Gynecology
Background:
- The internet is a primary source for health information, particularly for obstetric and gynecologic conditions.
- Understanding the origin and reliability of online health content is crucial for patient education and informed decision-making.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the sources of information found when searching for common obstetrically related terms online.
- To analyze the sponsorship of websites appearing in the top search results for critical obstetric conditions.
Main Methods:
- Utilized Google and Yahoo search engines with terms: cerebral palsy, birth trauma, shoulder dystocia, forceps delivery, epidural, and cesarean section.
- Examined the first page of search results for website sponsorship information.
- Employed chi-squared test to analyze differences in website sponsorship across search terms.
Main Results:
- Lawyers were the predominant sponsors for websites related to cerebral palsy (52%), birth trauma (48%), and shoulder dystocia (43%).
- Websites sponsored by obstetrician-gynecologists constituted only 3.6% of the top search results.
- Significant differences in sponsorship were observed among the investigated obstetric topics (P < .001).
Conclusions:
- The current landscape of online health information for obstetric terms is heavily influenced by non-medical entities, particularly legal professionals.
- Obstetrician-gynecologists need to strategically increase their presence and engagement on the internet.
- Enhancing the dissemination of accurate, expert-driven educational content online is vital for improving patient access to reliable health information.
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