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Commonly cited website quality criteria are not effective at identifying inaccurate online information about breast cancer

  1. Elmer V. Bernstam MD, MSE1,2,
  2. Muhammad F. Walji PhD1,3,
  3. Smitha Sagaram MBBS, MS1,
  4. Deepak Sagaram MBBS, MS1,
  5. Craig W. Johnson PhD1,
  6. Funda Meric-Bernstam MD4,†,*

Article first published online: 11 FEB 2008

DOI: 10.1002/cncr.23308

Issue

Cancer

Cancer

Volume 112, Issue 6, pages 1206–1213, 15 March 2008

Additional Information

How to Cite

Bernstam, E. V., Walji, M. F., Sagaram, S., Sagaram, D., Johnson, C. W. and Meric-Bernstam, F. (2008), Commonly cited website quality criteria are not effective at identifying inaccurate online information about breast cancer. Cancer, 112: 1206–1213. doi: 10.1002/cncr.23308

Author Information

  1. 1

    School of Health Information Sciences, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas

  2. 2

    Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas

  3. 3

    Dental Branch, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas

  4. 4

    Department of Surgical Oncology, University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas

  1. †

    Fax: (713) 745-4926

*Department of Surgical Oncology, Unit 444, University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Boulevard, Houston, TX 77030

  1. †

    Fax: (713) 745-4926

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 3 MAR 2008
  2. Article first published online: 11 FEB 2008
  3. Manuscript Accepted: 9 OCT 2007
  4. Manuscript Revised: 12 SEP 2007
  5. Manuscript Received: 20 JUL 2007

Funded by

  • Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
  • Health e-Technologies
  • National Library of Medicine. Grant Number: 5K22LM008306
  • National Center for Research Resources. Grant Number: 1UL1RR024148
  • Interdisciplinary Biosciences Training
  • National Library of Medicine. Grant Number: 5T15LM07093

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Keywords:

  • (MeSH);
  • breast neoplasms;
  • health education/methods;
  • information services/*standards/utilization;
  • internet/*standards/utilization;
  • internet/*standards/statistics & numerical data/trends;
  • complementary therapies/*standards/trends;
  • medical informatics/*standards/statistics & numerical data/trends;
  • quality indicators;
  • healthcare/standards/statistics & numerical data

Abstract

BACKGROUND

Consumers increasingly consult the Internet for breast cancer information. Concerned about accuracy, multiple organizations developed quality criteria for online content. However, the effectiveness of these tools is unknown. The authors determined whether existing quality criteria can identify inaccurate breast cancer information online.

METHODS

The authors identified 343 unique webpages by using 15 breast cancer-related queries on 5 popular web search-engines. Each page was assessed for 15 quality criteria and 3 website characteristics, link type (sponsored or not), search engine used to find the page, and domain extension. Two clinician-reviewers independently assessed accuracy and topics covered. The authors then determined whether quality criteria, website characteristics, and topics were associated with the presence of inaccurate statements.

RESULTS

The authors found 41 inaccurate statements on 18 webpages (5.2%). No quality criteria or website characteristic, singly or in combination, reliably identified inaccurate information. The total number of quality criteria met by a website accounted for a small fraction of the variability in the presence of inaccuracies (point biserial r = −0.128; df = 341; P = .018; r2 = 0.016). However, webpages containing information on complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) were significantly more likely to contain inaccuracies compared with pages without CAM information (odds ratio [OR], 15.6; P < .001).

CONCLUSIONS

Most breast cancer information that consumers are likely to encounter online is accurate. However, commonly cited quality criteria do not identify inaccurate information. Webpages that contain information about CAM are relatively likely to contain inaccurate statements. Consumers searching for health information online should still consult a clinician before taking action. Cancer 2008. © 2008 American Cancer Society.

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