DI-QC: A tool for assessing the quality of drug information websites

Abstract

Given that the quality of drug information on the World Wide Web varies greatly, it is essential to evaluate websites and their information before use. While various tools exist for evaluating health information websites, most are either not specific to drug information or are tailored to a particular group of drugs. This study aimed to develop a tool to evaluate drug information websites for both pharmacists and consumers, and to assess its validity, reliability, and applicability. We drafted a conceptual framework for drug information website evaluation, leading to the creation of a user-guidance type evaluation tool, named DI-QC, which exists in two versions: one for pharmacists and one for consumers. Each version comprises 26 items. The validity of DI-QC was confirmed with an S-CVI/Ave of 0.86 for the pharmacist version and 0.87 for the consumer version. The reliability of DI-QC was also assessed in terms of inter-rater agreement, with results showing consistent agreement across items. To demonstrate the applicability of DI-QC, forty-four drug information websites were evaluated. Using the pharmacist and consumer versions of DI-QC, 38.64% and 34.09% of the websites, respectively, were rated as ‘Good’. In conclusion, the DI-QC assessment tool was developed through a reliable process and is applicable and beneficial for evaluating drug information websites for both pharmacists and consumers.