Abstract
There are no published studies analyzing the quality of the information for lay women on the Internet regarding uterine fibroids. The accuracy of the provided material is also unknown. Thus, we have performed a cross-sectional study with 381 websites in the English and Brazilian Portuguese languages between May and December 2017. Two investigators performed the analysis, and the Cohen kappa coefficient was calculated to analyze the agreement between them. Search terms (uterine fibroids and derivatives) in the English and Brazilian Portuguese languages were used. The accuracy was analyzed by a 10-item checklist created based on the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM), National Institutes of Health (NIH) and European Menopause and Andropause Society (EMAS) consensuses about uterine fibroids. The item-test correlation and the intraclass coefficient were performed in the 16 questions from the DISCERN instrument, which was designed to measure the quality of health information on the Internet. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) measurements were performed for the independent variables and the DISCERN/accuracy scores. Google was the most used search engine, and uterine fibroid was the search term that generated most of the analyzed material. The median score for accuracy in all websites was 5 out of 10, and the median score of the DISCERN instrument was 38 out of 80. The top-scoring sites in the English language were derived from scientific organizations and federal governments, and they regarded the DISCERN score (The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists [ACOG], the Food and Drug Administration [FDA]) and the accuracy criteria (NIH, and FDA). On the other hand, in the Brazilian Portuguese language, the highest scores in both instruments were from magazines or physician's blogs. The Cronbach α test showed a higher correlation (0.77-0.79) between the sites and DISCERN; however, the item-test correlation varied from 0.39 to 0.56. There is a need to improve the quality of the information regarding uterine fibroids for lay women.
Highlights
Uterine fibroids (UFs) are the most common benign gynecological pathology, and out of the 70 to 80% of women who present these tumors, 20 to 30% will have symptoms related to their presence, such as abnormal uterine bleeding and pelvic pain.[1]
The top-scoring sites in the English language were derived from scientific organizations and federal governments, and they regarded the DISCERN score (The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists [ACOG], the Food and Drug Administration [FDA]) and the accuracy criteria (NIH, and FDA)
We have actively sought for patient-information websites contained within the most important scientific associations related to gynecology, or websites belonging to the federal government in both languages
Summary
Uterine fibroids (UFs) are the most common benign gynecological pathology, and out of the 70 to 80% of women who present these tumors, 20 to 30% will have symptoms related to their presence, such as abnormal uterine bleeding and pelvic pain.[1]. One of the motivations for women to undergo surgery is the lack of knowledge regarding the disease.[4] The Internet is an option for seeking information, and the number of users has considerably increased year after year; the quality of the medical information available for lay women is extremely variable.[5] The number of websites presenting topics directly and/or indirectly related (with mention, for example) to UFs has risen from 5,680 to 70,600 since 2004, and the absolute number of searches has increased. The mean activity of global search for UF has reduced, which may represent a higher availability of material regarding the disease, or websites with low quality of information.[6]
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