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Review of Online Breast Cancer
information encourages healthy skepticism
for consumers…Quality criteria does not
determine accuracy of Web sites
HOUSTON - Newswise — In an extended analysis
of Web pages dedicated to disseminating
breast cancer information, researchers at
two University of Texas institutions in the
Houston have determined that while most
breast cancer data found online was
accurate, one in 20 breast cancer Web pages
featured inaccuracies and sites displaying
complementary and alternative medicine were
15 times more likely to contain false or
misleading health information.
Published in the March 15 issue of Cancer and
online today, the study was conducted by The
University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer
Center in collaboration with researchers at
The University of Texas School of Health
Information Sciences at Houston (SHIS) as
one of a series of studies to determine
whether existing quality assessment tools
can identify false or inaccurate breast
cancer information available online.
The Pew Internet and American Life Project
estimates that more patients seek health
information online rather than visit a
physician.
According to Funda Meric-Bernstam, M.D.,
associate professor of surgery at M. D.
Anderson, many of her patients have gone on
the Internet for education and are savvy in
their breast cancer knowledge even before
their first appointment with her.
"Often it's clearly a benefit. For example,
I've had patients who were recommended
mastectomies that were really breast
conservation candidates.
"They actually figured this out by going
online and then seeking out surgeons capable
of performing the surgery," says
Meric-Bernstam, the study's senior and
corresponding author.
"In contrast, there are times patients read
about treatments that clearly do not apply
to them, which can increase their level of
anxiety or expectations for a treatment that
they are not a candidate for.
"Of
course, one also worries about patients who
go online and then ultimately do not seek
out any treatment despite it being
necessary."
In total, 343 Web pages, retrieved using
search engines that consumers are likely to
use, were analyzed.
Each was reviewed for 15 quality criteria,
including display of authorship, date of
creation and last modification. It was
important that the quality criteria be
"reproducible," says the study's first
author Elmer Bernstam, M.D., an associate
professor at both SHIS and The University of
Texas Medical School at Houston.
Forty-one inaccurate statements were found
on 18 of the different Web sites, or 5.2
percent.
"Consumers are taught to look for Web sites
where the author's credentials are
identified, his or her affiliations are
disclosed and other information is listed,"
said Bernstam, an internist. "But none of
this ensures accuracy."
A more positive finding is that the breast
cancer information available on the Internet
is more accurate than other fields of health
information, says Meric-Bernstam.
The authors recognize that while much has
changed in terms of the wealth of
information about health available on the
Internet since the data was collected in
2004, the issue regarding specific quality
criteria is timely.
"The question that we really tried to answer
was if we could separate Web sites that have
misinformation from Sites that have more
accurate content.
"No
combination of the criteria allowed us to
differentiate the Web sites with accurate
information versus those that did not,"
Bernstam said.
Using such quality criteria, the researchers
ultimately hope to develop a screening or
automated tool to help consumers eliminate
sites with misinformation.
"However, our current recommendation to
patients is to be skeptical, make sure what
patients read is applicable to their
specific medical well-being and not to take
action without consulting a clinician," says
Meric-Bernstram.
In addition to Meric-Bernstam and Bernstam,
other authors on the collaborative study
include: Muhammad, F. Walji, Ph.D., Smitha
Sagaram, Deepak Sagaram and Craig Johnson,
Ph.D., all from The University of Texas
School of Health Information Sciences at
Houston. The study was supported by grants
from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation,
National Library of Medicine, National
Center for Research Resources and a training
fellowship from the W. M. Keck Center for
Interdisciplinary Biosciences Training.
About M. D. Anderson
The University of Texas M. D. Anderson
Cancer Center in Houston ranks as one of the
world's most respected center focused on
patient care, research, education and
prevention.
M. D. Anderson is one of only 39
Comprehensive Cancer Centers designated by
the National Cancer Institute.
For five of the past eight years, M. D.
Anderson has ranked first in cancer care in
"America's Best Hospitals," a survey
published annually in U.S. News and World
Report.
About The University of Texas School of
Health Information Sciences at Houston
The University of Texas School of Health
Information Sciences at Houston is the first
school in the country devoted exclusively to
graduate Programs in Health Informatics,
bringing together the engineering, computer
and biological sciences to address
biomedical research and healthcare
challenges.
The School provides educational and research
opportunities in Informatics through
interdisciplinary teams committed to
collaboration at local, national, and global
levels.
Located within the Texas Medical Center, the
School was founded in 1997, and is one of
six schools in The University of Texas
Health Science Center at Houston.
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