Internet Health Resources on Nocturnal Enuresis - A Readability, Quality and Accuracy Analysis

Internet Health Resources on Nocturnal Enuresis - A Readability, Quality and Accuracy Analysis

Fung ACH; Lee MHL; Leung L; Chan IHY; Kenneth W

European journal of pediatric surgery : official journal of Austrian Association of Pediatric Surgery ... [et al] = Zeitschrift fur Kinderchirurgie

2023

child; article; controlled study; female; human; male; practice guideline; clinical article; Internet; Internet; Enuresis; questionnaire; nocturnal enuresis; government; health care planning; nephrologist; urologist; reading; continence; pediatric surgeon; search engine

Introduction Nocturnal enuresis is a common yet quality-of-life-limiting paediatric condition. There is an increasing trend for parents to obtain information on the disease's nature and treatment options via the internet. However, the quality of health-related information on the internet varies greatly and is largely uncontrolled and unregulated. With this study, a readability, quality and accuracy evaluation of the health information regarding nocturnal enuresis is carried out. Materials and Methods A questionnaire was administered to parents and patients with nocturnal enuresis to determine their use of the internet to research their condition. The most common search terms were determined, and the first 30 websites returned by the most popular search engines were used to assess the quality of information about nocturnal enuresis. Each site was categorised by type and assessed for readability using the Gunning-Fog score, SMOG index and Dale-Chall score; for quality using the DISCERN score; and for accuracy by comparison to the International Children's Continence Society (ICCS) guidelines by three experienced paediatric urologists and nephrologists. Results A total of 30 websites were assessed and classified into five categories: professional (n = 13), non-profit (n = 8), commercial (n = 4), government (n= 3) and other (n= 2). The information was considered difficult for the public to comprehend, with mean Gunning-Fog, SMOG index and Dale-Chall scores of 12.1+/-4.3, 14.1+/-4.3 and 8.1+/-1.3, respectively. The mean summed DISCERN score was 41+/-11.6 out of 75. Only seven (23%) websites were considered of good quality (DISCERN score > 50). The mean accuracy score of the websites was 3.2+/- 0.6 out of 5. Commercial websites were of the poorest quality and accuracy. Websites generally scored well in providing their aims and identifying treatment benefits and options, while they lacked references and information regarding treatment risks and mechanisms. Conclusions Online information about nocturnal enuresis exists for parents; however, most websites are of suboptimal quality, readability and accuracy. Paediatric surgeons should be aware of parents' health-information-seeking behaviour and be proactive in guiding parents to identify high-quality resources.Copyright Thieme. All rights reserved.

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