Spanish Websites Research Articles

Quality of Health Information on the Internet for Urolithiasis on the Google Search Engine

Purpose. To compare the quality of health information on the Internet for keywords related to urolithiasis, to assess for difference in information quality across four main Western languages, and to compare the source of sponsorship in these websites. Methods. Health On the Net (HON) Foundation principles were utilised to determine quality information. Fifteen keywords related to urolithiasis were searched on the Google search engine. The first 150 websites were assessed against the HON principles and the source of sponsorship determined. Results. A total of 8986 websites were analysed. A proportion of HON-accredited websites for individual search terms range between 2.5% and 12.0%. The first 50 websites were more likely to be HON-positive compared to websites 51–100 and 101–150. French websites searched were more likely to be HON-positive whereas German websites were less likely to be HON-positive than English websites. There was no statistically significant difference between the rate of HON-positive English and Spanish websites. The three main website sponsors were from government/educational sources (40.2%), followed by commercial (29.9%) and physician/surgeon sources (18.6%). Conclusions. Health information on most urolithiasis websites was not validated. Nearly one-third of websites in this study have commercial sponsorship. Doctors should recognise the need for more reliable health websites for their patients.

CRITERIOS PARA EL DISEÑO DE MATERIALES MULTIMEDIA EDUCATIVOS

This paper analyzes the functionality of an educational multimedia material, to recognize different media (blogs, websites teachers, multimedia resources ...) in which you can show an educational material. Managing nonverbal concepts may lean toward a good or bad composition also needs to explore trends in user based on their ages and interests, and specify a path outside this same field, find new routes to achieve to improve the work to develop. An initial description of the external features, main objectives and functions of 5 essential multimedia educational resources, 3 blogs, 5 teacher’s websites, an attempt to analyze an educational resource page, 8 educational websites in Spanish is by knowledge areas, and a brief description of the media with more impact in Mexico. Normal 0 false false false ES-MX X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:Table Normal; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Calibri; mso-ansi-language:ES-MX; mso-fareast-language:ES-MX;} This paper analyzes the functionality of an educational multimedia material, to recognize different media (blogs, websites teachers, multimedia resources ...) in which you can show an educational material. Managing nonverbal concepts may lean toward a good or bad composition also needs to explore trends in user based on their ages and interests, and specify a path outside this same field, find new routes to achieve to improve the work to develop. An initial description of the external features, main objectives and functions of 5 essential multimedia educational resources, 3 blogs, 5 teacher’s websites, an attempt to analyze an educational resource page, 8 educational websites in Spanish is by knowledge areas, and a brief description of the media with more impact in Mexico.

Contents, positioning and quality analysis in Spanish websites related to nutrition and eating behavior disorders

Eating disorders are serious psychological disorders with an increased incidence in last years. One of the factors that determine the high prevalence of eating disorders in our society is the lack of knowledge about nutrition. One of the reasons of this lack of knowledge could be the presence of online resources without scientific validity. OBJECTIVE AND SCOPE: The aim of this study was to analyze the scientific quality and positioning of websites in Spanish that have information on nutrition, eating disorders and obesity. For this purpose, a web search was conducted in the Google Chrome browser using the key words: diet, anorexia, bulimia, obesity and nutrition, and selecting the first 20 results of each search at the rates offered by SeoQuake positioning (Page Rank, Alexa Rank y SEMrush Rank). The variables used for the analysis were: information related to eating habits and diets, information on healthy eating, information about eating disorders and their diagnostics, and formative information about general health topics with professional criteria. Only the 50% of the webpages accomplished the inclusion criteria for this study. Most of them did not follow the guidelines established by e- Europe assessment for quality. The median of the Webpage's PageRank was 2, except those associated with health institutions. Given the scarcity of healthcare websites with scientific rigor is essential to review the existing one and to create new online spaces whose supervision must be carried out by specialists in health and nutrition.

Evaluación de la calidad de información sobre el embarazo en páginas web según las guías peruanas

Objectives. The objective of this study is to evaluate the information quality about pregnancy symptoms in Spanish available in the internet. Materials and methods. This is an analytic, cross-sectional study. In order to evaluate the selected websites, we used a methodology previously validated by Curró et al. The websites were selected from Google, MSN.com and yahoo.com. The quality evaluation included three components: medical contents, accountability and usability of the website. The medical content was compared with the data available in the national guidelines for Comprehensive Sexual and Reproductive Health, from the Peruvian Ministry of Health. Results. Ninety nine websites in Spanish were evaluated. from them, 26.3% had medium adherence to the gold standard document. In 37.4% the websites were of low quality. A total of 24.2% were blogs, they were associated (as a protrective factor) to sites of poor quality (OR: 0.1, 95% CI: 0.02 to 0.5). Conclusions. The majority of websites in Spanish related to pregnancy symptoms have low quality. These findings indicate the need to properly educate patients and general public, and a critical evaluation of the information quality found at the Internet as well.

Adapting the Content of Cancer Web Sites to the Information Needs of Patients: Reliability and Readability

People who use the Internet to research health topics do not usually find all the information they need and do not trust what they read. This study was designed to assess the reliability, accessibility, readability, and popularity of cancer Web sites in Spanish and to analyze the suitability of Web site content in accordance with the specific information needs of cancer patients. This was a two-phase, cross-sectional, descriptive study. The first phase involved data gathering through online searches and direct observation. The second phase involved individual structured interviews with 169 patients with breast, prostate, bladder, and kidney cancer. Spearman rank correlations were calculated between variables. Most sites belonged to nonprofit organizations, followed by universities or medical centers (14%). Thirty-one percent of the Web sites had quality seals, 59% provided details of authorship, 62% provided references to bibliographic sources, 38% identified their funding sources, and 54% showed the date of their last update. Twenty-one percent of the Web sites did not meet the minimum accessibility criteria. With regard to readability, 24% of the texts were considered to be "quite difficult." Patients' information needs vary depending on the type of cancer they have, although all patients want to know about the likelihood of a cure, survival rates, the side effects, and risks of treatment. The health information on cancer available on the Internet in Spanish is not very reliable, accessible, or readable and is not necessarily the information that breast, kidney, prostate, and bladder cancer patients require. The content of cancer Web sites needs to be assessed according to the information needs of patients.

Evaluating internet information on attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) treatment: Parent and expert perspectives

The Internet is increasingly used as a source of health-related information. The objective of this study was to assess the quality of web-based information on treatments for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Sixteen expert health professionals in ADHD and 35 parents of paediatric patients with a recent diagnosis of ADHD assessed the information contained in the 10 highest ranked websites in Spanish, using the Spanish version of the DISCERN tool - a validated questionnaire designed to assess the quality and reliability of web-based information on treatment choices (rating scores from 15 to 75). DISCERN scores given by parents and experts were low (total mean scores [standard deviation]: 35.9 [13.1] and 43.4 [13.7], respectively) and inter-rater agreement was poor/moderate (weighted kappa for the global assessment between -0.69 and +0.93, average = 0.29). There was a significant change on the ADHD-knowledge and motivation for treatment (ADHD-KMT) basic knowledge sub-scale score after the assessment of the different websites by parents (total mean scores [standard deviation]: 49.09 [9.46] and 63.21 [9.45]). Despite a poor/moderate inter-rater agreement between parent and expert opinions, all agreed that the quality of the web-based information on treatment choices for ADHD is generally poor.

Do the media provide transparent health information? A cross-cultural comparison of public information about the HPV vaccine

The media is a powerful tool for informing the public about health treatments. In particular, the Internet has gained importance as a widely valued source for health information for parents and adolescents. Nonetheless, traditional sources, such as newspapers, continue to report on health innovations. But do websites and newspaper reports provide balanced information? We performed a systematic media analysis to evaluate and compare media coverage of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine on websites and in newspapers in Germany and Spain. We assessed to what extent the media provide complete (pros and cons), transparent (absolute instead of relative numbers), and correct information about the epidemiology and etiology of cervical cancer as well as the effectiveness and costs of the HPV vaccine. As a basis for comparison, a facts box containing current scientific evidence about cervical cancer and the HPV vaccine was developed. The media analysis included 61 websites and 141 newspaper articles in Germany, and 41 websites and 293 newspaper articles in Spain. Results show that 57% of German websites and 43% of German newspaper reports communicated correct estimates of epidemiological data, whereas in Spain 39% of the websites and 20% of the newspaper did so. While two thirds of Spanish websites explicitly mentioned causes of cervical cancer as well as spontaneous recovery, German websites communicated etiological information less frequently. Findings reveal that correct estimates about the vaccine's effectiveness were mentioned in 10% of German websites and 6% of German newspaper reports; none of the Spanish newspaper reports and 2% of Spanish websites reported effectiveness correctly. Only German websites (13%) explicitly referred to scientific uncertainty regarding the vaccine's evaluation. We conclude that the media lack balanced reporting on the dimensions completeness, transparency, and correctness. We propose standards for more balanced reporting on websites and in newspapers.

Evaluación de la calidad de información sobre el embarazo en páginas web según las guías peruanas

The objective of this study is to evaluate the information quality about pregnancy symptoms in Spanish available in the internet. This is an analytic, cross-sectional study. In order to evaluate the selected websites, we used a methodology previously validated by Curró et al. The websites were selected from Google, MSN.com and Yahoo.com. The quality evaluation included three components: medical contents, accountability and usability of the website. The medical content was compared with the data available in the national guidelines for Comprehensive Sexual and Reproductive Health, from the Peruvian Ministry of Health. Ninety nine websites in Spanish were evaluated. From them, 26.3% had medium adherence to the gold standard document. In 37.4% the websites were of low quality. A total of 24.2% were blogs, they were associated (as a protrective factor) to sites of poor quality (OR: 0.1, 95% CI: 0.02 to 0.5). The majority of websites in Spanish related to pregnancy symptoms have low quality. These findings indicate the need to properly educate patients and general public, and a critical evaluation of the information quality found at the Internet as well.

Predicting Internet Use as a Source of Health Information: A “Language Divide” Among the Hispanic Population in the United States

AbstractSpurred by the rapid diffusion of information technology and advances in e‐Health initiatives, the Internet is increasingly viewed as an important tool for health promotion and health education as well as a platform for the delivery of public health interventions. The Internet also holds promise in eliminating health disparities through increased access to health information. Using the Pew 2007 Hispanic Healthcare Survey, we examined the factors that are associated with each of the four media channels (Internet, radio, TV, and print media) as a source of health information among 4,013 Hispanic adults. The most significant predictor of health information‐seeking behavior on the Internet was English proficiency. Policy implications include the need to address both the “digital divide” and the “language divide” by increasing Internet access, improving e‐Health literacy, and creating high quality and culturally tailored websites in Spanish for Hispanic adults who have low levels of English proficiency and education.

A corpus-based error typology: towards a more objective approach to measuring quality in localization

This paper examines current localization quality assessment through a product-based analysis of error typologies and the role they play in producing reliable and valid measurements. In order to provide a more objective foundation for localization quality, the methodology used is based on a monolingual comparable corpus of original and localized Spanish corporate websites. The contrastive analysis of this corpus highlighted recurrent inadequacies that are difficult to control with current evaluation metrics and, as a result, a comprehensive error categorization for localization is presented. It incorporates certain aspects, such as pragmatic errors, that are absent in current testing instruments used in the industry. In order to observe whether this typology can provide a more holistic and valid approach, it is applied to a case study that measures the errors in a localized Spanish website from one of the largest US companies. The results shed some light onto the shortcomings of current Quality Analysis practices and illustrate the benefits of adopting a bottom-up corpus approach in quality assessment. The wider implications for testing practices in localization are also described.

Developing a Search Engine for Pharmacotherapeutic Information that is Not Published in Biomedical Journals

ObjectiveTo identify publishers of pharmacotherapeutic information not found in biomedical journals that focuses on evaluating and providing advice on medicines and to develop a search engine to access this information. MethodsCompiling web sites that publish information on the rational use of medicines and have no commercial interests. Free-access web sites in Spanish, Galician, Catalan or English. Designing a search engine using the Google “custom search” application. ResultsOverall 159 Internet addresses were compiled and were classified into 9 labels. We were able to recover the information from the selected sources using a search engine, which is called “AlquimiA” and available from http://www.elcomprimido.com/FARHSD/AlquimiA.htm ConclusionsThe main sources of pharmacotherapeutic information not published in biomedical journals were identified. The search engine is a useful tool for searching and accessing “grey literature” on the Internet.

Desarrollo de un buscador de información farmacoterapéutica no publicada en revistas biomédicas

Identificar productores de información farmacoterapéutica no publicada en revistas biomédicas orientada a la evaluación y posicionamiento terapéutico de los medicamentos y desarrollar un buscador para el acceso a dicha información. Recopilación de sitios web productores de información sobre uso racional de los medicamentos e independientes de los intereses promocionales. Páginas web de acceso libre, y en castellano, gallego, catalán o inglés. Diseño de un buscador mediante aplicación «búsqueda personalizada» de Google. Se han recopilado 159 direcciones de Internet y se han clasificado en 9 etiquetas. El buscador, denominado AlquimiA y accesible desde http://www.elcomprimido.com/FARHSD/AlquimiA.htm, permite recuperar información de las fuentes seleccionadas. Se han identificado las principales fuentes de información farmacoterapéutica no publicada en revistas biomédicas. El buscador constituye una herramienta útil para la búsqueda y acceso a las publicaciones de «evidencia gris» en Internet. To identify publishers of pharmacotherapeutic information not found in biomedical journals that focuses on evaluating and providing advice on medicines and to develop a search engine to access this information. Compiling web sites that publish information on the rational use of medicines and have no commercial interests. Free-access web sites in Spanish, Galician, Catalan or English. Designing a search engine using the Google “custom search” application. Overall 159 internet addresses were compiled and were classified into 9 labels. We were able to recover the information from the selected sources using a search engine, which is called “AlquimiA” and available from http://www.elcomprimido.com/FARHSD/AlquimiA.htm. The main sources of pharmacotherapeutic information not published in biomedical journals were identified. The search engine is a useful tool for searching and accessing “grey literature” on the internet.

Webliografía sobre salud para adolescentes y jóvenes

Aims To identify health Websites in Spanish on adolescence and youth and to assess the adequacy of their codes of conduct. Methods Cross sectional study of the adequacy of codes of conduct, identified in the same way as young people tend to look on the Internet (search engines). Websites have been independently assessed using a questionnaire by 3 evaluators. Dimensions: 1) accountability, 2) transparency and honesty, 3) author, 4) editorial policy, 5) protection of personal data, 6) updating of information and accessibility. A descriptive analysis was performed and the kappa coefficient was estimated to assess the correlation between evaluators. Results A total of 66.7% of Websites had Spanish suppliers. There were 13 Websites (30.9%) with high compliance: Information for adolescents from the Spanish Association of Pediatrics (Spain), Health Center Manuel Merino Alcala de Henares (Spain), State Family Planning Federation (Spain), Webteens of the Generalitat Catalonia (Spain), Young Information Institutes Health (USA), Information on Female teenagers (USA), Information doctors and educators on type I diabetes (Spain), occupational asthma Portal (10 countries), teenage Information Puleva Group (Spain), Information bulimia and anorexia of the Community of Madrid (Spain), Health of adolescence PulsoMed, SA (Spain), American Association of Family Physicians (USA) and Information for young people from the Mapfre Health Fund (Spain). The worst dimension was updating of information (57.1% with low fullfilment) and protection of personal data, 21% with low fullfilment. The level of concordance between observers was considerable. Conclusions A list was obtained of websites with health information on adolescence and youth, with variability in adequacy in codes of conduct.

Women's Autonomy and the Evaluation of the Information Available on the Internet on Hormone Therapy After Menopause

This study was designed to examine the information in Spanish, provided by different Web sites, related to hormone therapy and climacteric symptoms. Web sites evaluated included those belonging to government and scientific institutions and to a miscellaneous group. In Web sites in Spanish, there was more extensive information on the benefits of hormone therapy than there were on other items. The Web sites of governmental institutions provided significantly more information on the risks (P < .01) and benefits (P = .02) of hormone therapy than did the other sites. Governmental institutions from the United States, unlike those from Spain, did not make recommendations regarding when hormone therapy should be considered and instead emphasized the woman's decision. The variability of information in Spanish on hormone therapy and postmenopausal symptoms presented on the Internet is related to the organization responsible for the Web site. Besides, cultural differences in the concept of patient autonomy could partly explain the differences in emphasis made on women's role in the decision-making process.

Administración electrónica en España en la gestión del agua. El caso del Sistema Español de Información Sobre el Agua (Hispagua)

The analysis of Spanish websites involved in water management provides an overview of the present situation of Spanish E-government in this area. The websites considered belong to national, regional and local administrations with responsibility for the management of water resources. As a case study, Hispagua, the Spanish information system on water resources is described. Hispagua is a free-access portal covering all information relevant to freshwater in Spain.

Gobierno electr&amp;#243;nico. Contenidos y organizaci&amp;#243;n de las sedes web de los parlamentos auton&amp;#243;micos

We understand the legislative parliaments web sites as an instrument for the democratic development and as a modernization of the administration for the citizens. From this perspective, the present work evaluates the development and the organization of the autonomic Spanish parliaments web sites, from the defined standard established by the Interparliamentarian Union, owing to the Congress celebrated in Amman in the year 2000. The mentioned standard established the common lines, in an international level, of contents and organization of the parliamentarian web sites. The current investigation shows the rules as a methodological instrument which measures the quality of the information, and the digital gap that can arise between the different web sites. In this way, the methodology in use has a questionnaire prepared from the standard of Amman, in which the characteristics to evaluate each site are presented, as parameters with a series of recommended and optional indicators. The evaluation questionnaire reviews in an organized form each element that the analyst needs to valuate, the existence and the development –if required–, or the absence of each indicator. The results and conclusions indicate the good index of contents and organization of the Spanish web sites regarding the Interparliamentarian Union standards. Although as phases of modernization of the administration, they need improvement to bring the information near to the citizen, and contribute to the electronic government. To conclude with the economical values, efficiency and efficacy that play a leading part in the administrative modernization that must be applied to these web sites to reduce the distance between who decides and the people that they represent.

The Bush and Gore Presidential Campaign Web Sites: Identifying with Hispanic Voters during the 2000 Iowa Caucuses and New Hampshire Primary

This study examines presidential campaign discourse addressed to Hispanic voters during the 2000 Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary. Burke's concept of identification is used to determine how candidates identified with Hispanics through (1) common association, (2) antithesis, and (3) subtlety or cunning. Results reveal that George W. Bush invested more in his Spanish Web site and differentiated more among distinct Hispanic populations to create identification with specific subgroups, while Al Gore presented a pan-Latino message. Overall, only four of the thirty-one analyzed messages focused specifically on mobilizing voters during the primary/caucus season.