Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA.
Dis Colon Rectum. 2012 Jan;55(1):85-9. doi: 10.1097/DCR.0b013e3182351eec.
The Internet is a vast resource available for patients to obtain health information.
This study examines the quality of Web sites that provide information on diverticular disease, treatment options, and surgery.
Two search engines (Google and Yahoo) and the search terms "surgery and diverticular disease" and "surgery and diverticulitis" were used. The first 50 sites of each search were assessed. Sites that fulfilled the inclusion criteria were evaluated for content and scored by using the DISCERN instrument, which evaluates the quality of health information on treatment choices.
Two hundred sites were examined, of which 60 (30%) provided patient-orientated information. 50 sites (25%) were duplicated, 7 (3.5%) were links, 10 (5%) were advertisements, 14 (7%) were resources for clinicians, 9 (4.5%) were message forums, 27 (13.5%) were articles, and 15 (7.5%) were dead links. Of the 60 Web sites that provided patient information, only 10 (16.7%) had been updated within the past 2 years. Seventeen (28.3%) sites were affiliated with hospitals and clinics, but another 17 (28.3%) sites were associated with private companies with commercial interests. Although most Web sites contained information on symptoms, complications, investigations, and treatment options of diverticular disease, 20 (33.3%) did not describe any of the risks of surgery, and 45 (75%) did not provide information on the timescale of recovery postoperatively. Eighteen sites did not provide balanced information on treatment options; of these, 7 were biased toward medical treatment and 6 focused on laparoscopic surgery. Overall, only 22 (36.7%) were identified as being "good" or "excellent" with the use of the DISCERN criteria.
The quality of patient information on surgery for diverticular disease is highly variable, and Web sites that are sponsored by private companies may be biased in discussing treatment options. There is potential for the Internet to provide valuable information, and clinicians should guide patients to access high-quality Web sites.
互联网是患者获取健康信息的巨大资源。
本研究检查了提供有关憩室疾病、治疗选择和手术信息的网站的质量。
使用了两个搜索引擎（Google 和 Yahoo）和搜索词“手术和憩室疾病”和“手术和憩室炎”。评估了每个搜索的前 50 个网站。符合纳入标准的网站将根据内容进行评估，并使用 DISCERN 工具进行评分，该工具评估有关治疗选择的健康信息的质量。
共检查了 200 个网站，其中 60 个（30％）提供了面向患者的信息。50 个网站（25％）是重复的，7 个（3.5％）是链接，10 个（5％）是广告，14 个（7％）是临床医生资源，9 个（4.5％）是留言板，27 个（13.5％）是文章，15 个（7.5％）是死链接。在提供患者信息的 60 个网站中，只有 10 个（16.7％）在过去 2 年内进行了更新。17 个（28.3％）网站与医院和诊所有关联，但另外 17 个（28.3％）网站与具有商业利益的私人公司有关联。尽管大多数网站都包含有关憩室疾病症状、并发症、检查和治疗选择的信息，但 20 个（33.3％）未描述任何手术风险，45 个（75％）未提供术后恢复时间的信息。18 个网站未提供有关治疗选择的均衡信息；其中，7 个偏向于药物治疗，6 个侧重于腹腔镜手术。总体而言，仅 22 个（36.7％）网站使用 DISCERN 标准被评为“好”或“优秀”。
憩室疾病手术患者信息的质量差异很大，由私人公司赞助的网站在讨论治疗选择时可能存在偏见。互联网有可能提供有价值的信息，临床医生应指导患者访问高质量的网站。
