Assessment of internet sources on subungual melanoma.

Abstract

In this study, we sought to objectively determine the accuracy and comprehensibility of online material with regard to subungual melanoma, a nail disease that is rare within the general population, yet has high incidence in certain patient groups, and carries a poorer prognosis than other forms of cutaneous melanoma. Because improved prognosis relies on early diagnosis, the dissemination of accurate, understandable information is an important factor in patient education and health. Using a pro forma designed to score website reliability, the accountability, quality, readability, display, support features, and transparency of the most commonly listed search engine hits related to subungual melanoma were analyzed. A total of 27 websites were assessed, with a mean overall score of 16.1 out of a maximum of 40 (range: 7-25). Accountability (mean: 3.4/10, range: 0-9) and quality (mean: 4/10, range: 0-9) varied among websites, while readability was poor overall, with only 22% of websites meeting the accepted seventh grade reading level for online health material. In addition, commonly visited websites for health information, including Wikipedia.org and Medscape.com, scored low in readability. Notably, the American Academy of Dermatology website was not listed under any search engine results for subungual melanoma. Our study demonstrates the variability in online materials with regard to subungual melanoma, stressing the importance of scrutinizing internet resources for accuracy and readability when presenting health material.