Evaluation of internet derived patient information

Area of Science:

• Neurosurgery
• Medical Informatics
• Patient Education

Background:

• The internet is a primary source for patients seeking medical information.
• Accurate and accessible patient information is crucial for informed decision-making.
• Evaluating online health information quality is essential.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the quality of patient information websites on hydrocephalus.
• To compare findings with evaluations in other surgical specialties.

Main Methods:

• Searched "hydrocephalus" on Google, Bing, and Yahoo.
• Assessed the top 20 results from each search engine.
• Utilized the University of Michigan consumer health website evaluation checklist.

Main Results:

• Hydrocephalus patient information websites show highly variable quality.
• Websites often lack sufficient authorship details, regular content review, and occasional referencing.
• Website quality correlates with provider background; academic and care providers produce superior content.

Conclusions:

• A conflict of interest can exist between provider background and supplied information.
• Clinicians should proactively research and guide patients to reliable hydrocephalus resources.
• Ensuring accurate online patient information requires critical evaluation and clinician guidance.