S3212 IBD in the Time of COVID-19: An Analysis of Online Resources for Patients About IBD and COVID-19

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic condition often requiring immunosuppressive therapy, which may increase risk of COVID19 complications. As patients increasingly turn to internet search engines for medical inquiries, quality information is ever more important. This study evaluated the quality, readability, and content of online information available to patients with IBD about COVID19. METHODS: A Google search of the terms “Inflammatory bowel disease” and “COVID19” identified the top 125 results. Websites were excluded if inaccessible, duplicate, veterinary, or irrelevant. Websites were categorized as academic (universities, professional groups, journals) or non-academic (blogs, news, commercial or personal sites). Readability was assessed with the validated Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level calculation. Sites were evaluated for quality and accuracy using the validated DISCERN instrument with scores rated as excellent (>65), good (36–65), or poor (<36). Statistical analysis was performed with two-sample T-test and chi-square with significance set at P < 0.05. RESULTS: 77 of 125 websites met inclusion criteria, of which 39 (50.6%) were academic and 38 (49.4%) were non-academic. The mean Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level was 12.2 and the mean quality DISCERN score was 49.7. Academic sites compared to non-academic websites were written at a significantly higher grade-level (14.7 vs 11.6; P = 0.016). There was no significant difference in the DISCERN scores between academic and non-academic websites (51 vs 42, P = 0.823). Academic websites were significantly more likely to discuss immunosuppression (P = 0.00006), biologic medications (P = 0.018), steroids (P = 0.029), social distancing (P = 0.014), and COVID19 symptoms of nausea/vomiting (P = 0.034) and diarrhea (P = 0.029). CONCLUSION: This study revealed that available online information was of good quality. However, consumer sites were significantly less likely to highlight known gastrointestinal symptoms of COVID19 and were less likely to discuss potential issues related to medication use. Both academic and non-academic websites had an average grade level that exceeded the NIH recommended 6th grade reading level. Overall, there was significant variation in the content and accuracy of available information. As IBD patients have heightened concerns regarding COVID risks, it is important that online information be accessible and accurate to all potential readers.