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Evaluation of drug information in an Internet newsgroup
N S Desai1, E J Dole, S T Yeatman
1VA Medical Center, Albuquerque, N. Mex., USA.
Objective:
To determine the accuracy and potential harmfulness of the drug information in a newsgroup on the Internet, sci.med.pharmacy.
Design:
In this cross-sectional study, two independent reviewers analyzed the nonsubjective drug information in this newsgroup. Drug information was classified as correct, incorrect or could not verify. Information was determined to have no harm, minor harm, moderate harm, or severe harm.
Results:
About one-half of the drug information was found to be correct in this newsgroup. Although 68% of the drug information was found to result in no harm, 19.4% was classified as harmful.
Conclusions:
If drug information on the Internet contains inaccuracies, its ready accessibility may pose a public health problem. With the number of Internet users growing, health professionals need to be aware of the potential for dissemination of misinformation, and need to become familiar with the Internet and the various health information resources available to the public.