Department of Surgery, Urology Unit, Austin Hospital, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
Urological Institute, University Hospitals Case Medical Center, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA.
Prostate Int. 2014 Dec;2(4):161-8. doi: 10.12954/PI.14058. Epub 2014 Dec 30.
To compare the quality of current Internet information on benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and its surgical and medical managements across four Western languages and a comparative analysis of website sponsors. BPH Internet information quality is particularly relevant in an era of expanding, minimally invasive and surgical therapies. However, no comprehensive analysis exists.
World Health Organization Health on the Net (HON) principles may be applied to websites using an automated toolbar function. Using a search engine (www.google.com), 9,000 websites were assessed using keywords related to BPH and its medical and surgical treatment in English, French, German, and Spanish. The first 150 websites in each language had HON principles measured whilst a further analysis of site sponsorship was undertaken.
Very few BPH websites had greater than ten per cent HON accredited with significant differences (P<0.001) based on terms used for BPH, its medical and surgical management. Tertiles (thirds) of the first 150 websites returned differences in accredited websites (P<0.0001). English language had most accredited websites. Odds ratios for different terms returning accredited websites also were significantly different across terms (P<0.001). Websites were largely commercially sponsored.
A lack of validation of most BPH sites should be appreciated with discrepancies in quality and number of websites across diseases, languages and also between medical and alternate terms. Physicians should participate in and encourage the development of informative, ethical and reliable health websites on the Internet and direct patients to them.
比较四种西方语言中关于良性前列腺增生（BPH）及其手术和药物治疗的互联网信息质量，并对网站赞助商进行比较分析。在微创和手术治疗不断发展的时代，BPH 互联网信息质量尤为重要。但是，目前还没有全面的分析。
可以使用自动工具栏功能根据世界卫生组织健康网络（HON）原则对网站进行评估。使用搜索引擎（www.google.com），用英语、法语、德语和西班牙语搜索与 BPH 及其药物和手术治疗相关的关键词，评估 9000 个网站。每种语言中排名前 150 的网站都根据 HON 原则进行了测量，同时还对网站赞助进行了进一步分析。
很少有 BPH 网站获得超过 10%的 HON 认证，且根据 BPH、其药物和手术治疗的使用术语，存在显著差异（P<0.001）。前 150 个网站中，三分之一的网站获得认证的网站数量存在差异（P<0.0001）。英语网站获得认证的网站最多。不同术语返回认证网站的优势比在不同术语之间也存在显著差异（P<0.001）。网站主要由商业赞助商赞助。
大多数 BPH 网站缺乏验证，不同疾病、语言以及医学和替代术语之间的网站质量和数量存在差异，这一点应引起重视。医生应参与并鼓励在互联网上开发信息丰富、符合伦理道德和可靠的健康网站，并将患者引导至这些网站。
