School of Public Health, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
China Aerospace Science & Industry Corporation 731 Hospital, Beijing, China.
J Med Internet Res. 2022 Oct 26;24(10):e38567. doi: 10.2196/38567.
BACKGROUND: The WeChat platform has become a primary source for medical information in China. However, no study has been conducted to explore the quality of information on WeChat for the treatment of hypertension, the leading chronic condition. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to explore the quality of information in articles on WeChat that are related to hypertension treatment from the aspects of credibility, concreteness, accuracy, and completeness. METHODS: We searched for all information related to hypertension treatment on WeChat based on several inclusion and exclusion criteria. We used 2 tools to evaluate information quality, and 2 independent reviewers performed the assessment with the 2 tools separately. First, we adopted the DISCERN instrument to assess the credibility and concreteness of the treatment information, with the outcomes classified into five grades: excellent, good, fair, poor, and very poor. Second, we applied the Chinese Guidelines for Prevention and Treatment of Hypertension (2018 edition) to evaluate the accuracy and completeness of the article information with regard to specific medical content. Third, we combined the results from the 2 assessments to arrive at the overall quality of the articles and explored the differences between, and associations of, the 2 independent assessments. RESULTS: Of the 223 articles that were retrieved, 130 (58.3%) full texts were included. Of these 130 articles, 81 (62.3%) described therapeutic measures for hypertension. The assessment based on the DISCERN instrument reported a mean score of 31.22 (SD 8.46). There were no articles rated excellent (mean score >63); most (111/130, 85.4%) of the articles did not refer to the consequences-in particular, quality of life-of no treatment. For specific medical content, adherence to the Chinese Guidelines for Prevention and Treatment of Hypertension was generally low in terms of accuracy and completeness, and there was much erroneous information. The overall mean quality score was 10.18 (SD 2.22) for the 130 articles, and the scores differed significantly across the 3 types (P=.03) and 5 sources (P=.02). Articles with references achieved higher scores for quality than those reporting none (P<.001). The results from the DISCERN assessment and the medical content scores were highly correlated (ρ=0.58; P<.001). CONCLUSIONS: The quality of hypertension treatment-related information on the WeChat platform is low. Future work is warranted to regulate information sources and strengthen references. For the treatment of hypertension, crucial information on the consequences of no treatment is urgently needed.
背景:微信平台已成为中国获取医学信息的主要来源。然而,目前尚无研究探讨微信平台上有关高血压治疗信息的质量,而高血压是主要的慢性疾病之一。
目的:本研究旨在从可信度、具体性、准确性和完整性四个方面,探讨微信平台上与高血压治疗相关的文章的信息质量。
方法:我们根据若干纳入和排除标准,在微信上搜索与高血压治疗相关的所有信息。我们使用了 2 种工具来评估信息质量,由 2 位独立的评估人员分别使用这 2 种工具进行评估。首先,我们采用 DISCERN 量表评估治疗信息的可信度和具体性,结果分为 5 个等级:优秀、良好、中等、差和极差。其次,我们应用《中国高血压防治指南(2018 年修订版)》评估文章信息在具体医疗内容方面的准确性和完整性。然后,我们将这 2 种评估的结果相结合,得出文章的整体质量,并探讨这 2 种独立评估之间的差异和相关性。
结果:在检索到的 223 篇文章中,有 130 篇(58.3%)全文符合纳入标准。在这 130 篇文章中,有 81 篇(62.3%)描述了高血压的治疗措施。基于 DISCERN 量表的评估报告的平均得分为 31.22(SD 8.46)。没有一篇文章被评为优秀(平均分>63);大多数(111/130,85.4%)文章未提及不治疗的后果,特别是生活质量方面。在具体的医疗内容方面,准确性和完整性方面普遍不遵守《中国高血压防治指南》,存在大量错误信息。130 篇文章的整体平均质量评分为 10.18(SD 2.22),评分在 3 种类型(P=.03)和 5 个来源(P=.02)之间存在显著差异。有参考文献的文章质量评分高于无参考文献的文章(P<.001)。DISCERN 评估和医疗内容评分之间的相关性很高(ρ=0.58;P<.001)。
结论:微信平台上与高血压治疗相关的信息质量较低。未来的工作需要规范信息来源并加强参考文献。对于高血压的治疗,迫切需要有关不治疗后果的关键信息。
J Med Internet Res. 2022-10-26
JMIR Cancer. 2024-5-30
Arch Public Health. 2023-9-15
JMIR Mhealth Uhealth. 2020-5-8
Zhonghua Liu Xing Bing Xue Za Zhi. 2020-3-10
Medicine (Baltimore). 2024-9-27
World Neurosurg. 2021-9
Bone Jt Open. 2020-4-20
J Am Acad Dermatol. 2021-11
J Med Internet Res. 2020-8-12