Department of Anesthesiology, University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont 05401, USA.
J Pain. 2011 Nov;12(11):1149-54. doi: 10.1016/j.jpain.2011.05.005. Epub 2011 Jul 31.
The objective of this study was to assess the quality of websites presenting treatment information for postherpetic neuralgia. The term "postherpetic neuralgia treatment" was searched using the Google and Yahoo search engines. Fifty websites from each were evaluated using the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) benchmarks, the Health on the Net (HON) seal, and the DISCERN instrument. The treatments suggested on each website were compared with 3 recognized first-line treatment options (antidepressants, anticonvulsants, and topical lidocaine). Less than half of the included websites fulfilled all JAMA benchmark requirements. Less than one-third of the websites displayed the HON seal. The DISCERN instrument evaluation revealed that most websites were of moderate quality. Commercial websites tended to be inferior in comparison to noncommercial websites. Most websites recommended at least 2 of the 3 recommended treatments as well as several second- and third-line treatments. One-third to one-half of websites recommended a nonbeneficial treatment. In conclusion, many different postherpetic neuralgia treatments are found on the Internet and patients may be left separating recommended treatments from nonrecommended treatments without help from their healthcare providers.
This study examined the quality of websites related to postherpetic neuralgia treatment. The results demonstrated that most websites offering advice on postherpetic neuralgia treatment are of only moderate quality and often offer treatment suggestions that are nonbeneficial. Patients and providers must use caution when taking advice from these sites.
本研究旨在评估提供带状疱疹后神经痛治疗信息的网站质量。使用 Google 和 Yahoo 搜索引擎搜索“带状疱疹后神经痛治疗”一词。使用美国医学会（JAMA）基准、健康网络（HON）印章和 DISCERN 工具评估每个搜索引擎的前 50 个网站。比较每个网站建议的治疗方法与 3 种公认的一线治疗选择（抗抑郁药、抗惊厥药和局部利多卡因）。纳入的网站中不到一半符合所有 JAMA 基准要求。不到三分之一的网站显示 HON 印章。DISCERN 仪器评估显示，大多数网站的质量为中等。与非商业网站相比，商业网站往往较差。大多数网站推荐至少 3 种推荐治疗方法以及几种二线和三线治疗方法。三分之一到一半的网站推荐了非有益的治疗方法。结论：互联网上有许多不同的带状疱疹后神经痛治疗方法，患者可能在没有医疗服务提供者帮助的情况下，自行从推荐的治疗方法中甄别出非推荐的治疗方法。
本研究检查了与带状疱疹后神经痛治疗相关的网站质量。结果表明，提供带状疱疹后神经痛治疗建议的大多数网站质量仅为中等，并且经常提供非有益的治疗建议。患者和提供者在从这些网站获取建议时必须谨慎。
