Carpal tunnel syndrome: Analysis of online patient information with the EQIP tool

F S Frueh; A F Palma; D A Raptis; C P Graf; P Giovanoli; M Calcagni

doi:10.1016/j.main.2015.04.003

Carpal tunnel syndrome: Analysis of online patient information with the EQIP tool

Chir Main. 2015 Jun;34(3):113-21. doi: 10.1016/j.main.2015.04.003. Epub 2015 May 26.

Authors

F S Frueh¹, A F Palma², D A Raptis³, C P Graf², P Giovanoli², M Calcagni²

Affiliations

¹ Division of Plastic Surgery and Hand Surgery, University Hospital Zurich, Raemistrasse 100, 8091 Zurich, Switzerland. Electronic address: frueh.flo@gmx.ch.
² Division of Plastic Surgery and Hand Surgery, University Hospital Zurich, Raemistrasse 100, 8091 Zurich, Switzerland.
³ Department of Surgery and Transplantation, Swiss HPB and Transplant Center, University Hospital Zurich, Raemistrasse 100, 8091 Zurich, Switzerland.

PMID: 26022522
DOI: 10.1016/j.main.2015.04.003

Abstract

Patients suffering from carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) actively search for medical information on the Internet. The World Wide Web represents the main source of patient information. The aim of this study was to systematically assess the quality of patient information about CTS in the Internet. A qualitative and quantitative assessment of websites was performed with the modified Ensuring Quality Information for Patients (EQIP) tool that contains 36 standardized items. Five hundred websites with information on CTS treatment options were identified through Google, Bing, Yahoo, Ask.com and AOL. Duplicates and irrelevant websites were excluded. One hundred and ten websites were included. Only five websites addressed more than 20 items; quality scores were not significantly different between the various providing groups. A median of 15 EQIP items was found, with the top website addressing 26 out of 36 items. Major complications such as median nerve injury were reported in 27% of the websites and their treatment in only 3%. This analysis revealed several critical shortcomings in the quality of the information provided to patients suffering from CTS. There is a collective need to provide interactive, informative and educational websites for standard procedures in hand surgery. These websites should be compatible with international quality standards for hand surgery procedures.

Keywords: CTS; Carpal tunnel syndrome; EQIP; Information des patients; Internet; Patient information; SCC; Syndrome du canal carpien.

MeSH terms

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome*
Consumer Health Information / standards*
Humans
Internet*
Medical Informatics