Surfing for hip replacements: has the "internet tidal wave" led to better quality information

Mujtaba Nassiri; Robert A Bruce-Brand; Francis O'Neill; Shojaeddin Chenouri; Paul T Curtin

doi:10.1016/j.arth.2014.01.009

Surfing for hip replacements: has the "internet tidal wave" led to better quality information

J Arthroplasty. 2014 Jul;29(7):1339-1344.e1. doi: 10.1016/j.arth.2014.01.009. Epub 2014 Jan 21.

Authors

Mujtaba Nassiri¹, Robert A Bruce-Brand¹, Francis O'Neill¹, Shojaeddin Chenouri², Paul T Curtin¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Trauma & Orthopedic Surgery, St. Vincent's University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland.
² Department of Statistics & Actuarial Science, University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.

PMID: 24559520
DOI: 10.1016/j.arth.2014.01.009

Abstract

This study aimed to determine the quality of information available on the internet regarding Total Hip Replacement (THR). The unique websites identified were categorised by type and assessed using the DISCERN score, the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) benchmark criteria, and a novel (THR)-specific content score. The presence of the Health On the Net (HON) code, a reported quality assurance marker, was noted. Commercial websites predominate. Governmental & Non-Profit Organizations websites attained the highest DISCERN score. Sites that bore the HONcode seal obtained significantly higher DISCERN and THR content scores than those without the certification. Physicians should recommend the HONcode seal to their patients as a reliable indicator of website quality or, better yet, refer patients to sites they have personally reviewed.

Keywords: hip replacement; information; internet.

MeSH terms

Access to Information
Arthroplasty, Replacement, Hip / methods*
Decision Making
Humans
Internet / standards
Patient Education as Topic*
Societies, Medical
United States