Low Back Pain and Internet: Infopollution
Yavuz Samanci1, Suat Erol Celik
1Istanbul Training and Research Hospital, Neurosurgery Clinic, Istanbul, Turkey.
Turkish Neurosurgery
|November 19, 2016
Summary
Internet information on low back pain treatments like lumbar disc herniation (LDH), lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS), and lumbar spondylolisthesis (LSL) is often poor quality. Most websites lack evidence, clear aims, or balanced information on treatment choices.
Area of Science:
- Neurosurgery
- Health Informatics
- Medical Information Quality
Background:
- Growing patient reliance on internet for health information.
- Need to assess online information quality for common neurosurgical conditions.
Purpose of the Study:
- Evaluate the quality of internet information for treating lumbar disc herniation (LDH), lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS), and lumbar spondylolisthesis (LSL).
- Utilize the DISCERN® instrument to assess information reliability and usefulness.
Main Methods:
- Searched Google® for "LDH treatment", "LSS treatment", and "LSL treatment".
- Analyzed the first 30 websites for author type, clarity of aim, relevance, evidence, balance, and risk/benefit information.
- Assessed website quality using the DISCERN® instrument with two independent observers.
Main Results:
- Physician authors were most frequent (39.3%), but overall information quality was low.
- Few websites had clear aims (3.6%) or relevant information (6%).
- Most sites lacked evidence (86.7%), balanced information (9.6%), and described risks/benefits (61.5% and 2.4% respectively). Only 7.2% were deemed useful.
Conclusions:
- Internet information on LDH, LSS, and LSL treatments is largely inadequate and inappropriate for patient decision-making.
- Healthcare professionals, particularly neurosurgeons, must be aware of this significant gap in reliable online health information.
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