A survey of the quality of web based information on the treatment of schizophrenia and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

Full Abstract

OBJECTIVE:
To systematically assess the quality, accountability and readability of Internet information on the treatment of schizophrenia and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), using a standardized pro forma.

METHOD:
We analysed the 20 most highly ranked pages on the treatment of ADHD and schizophrenia, identified by five common Internet search engines.

RESULTS:
There was little overlap in the sites identified by different search engines. In the case of schizophrenia, one site was identified three times and another eight sites twice; while for ADHD four sites were identified twice. Accountability (Silberg score), presentation and readability, as assessed by the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level score, were poor. Mean Silberg, presentation and Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level scores were 3.2 (range 0-9) out of 9, 1.9 (range 0-4) out of 4, and 11.5 (range 6.5-12.25), respectively. There was no statistical difference in scores between the two diagnoses. Depending on the recommendation, agreement with evidence-based practice for schizophrenia ranged from only 2 to 55% (mean = 2.8 (range 0-9) out of 12), while that for ADHD was from 14 to 54% (mean = 1.6 (range 0-6) out of 6). Only 50% of the sites advised readers to clarify information with an appropriate health professional. Interrater reliability in pro forma scores for schizophrenia and ADHD was high (r = 0.96 and 0.95, respectively, p < 0.0001). Sites in the top 10% of scores were significantly more likely to be owned by an organization or have an editorial board than those in the bottom 10%.

CONCLUSIONS:
The Internet contains misleading information on both schizophrenia and ADHD. The methodology used in this paper could be adapted for other psychiatric conditions.

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Author information

Author/s: Kisely, Stephen (S); Ong, Greg (G); Takyar, Ashish (A);

Affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada. Stephen.Kisely@cdha.nshealth.ca

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article

Journal: The Australian and New Zealand journal of psychiatry (Aust N Z J Psychiatry), published in Australia. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2003-Feb; vol 37 (issue 1) : pp 85-91

Dates: Created 2003/01/21; Completed 2003/07/03; Revised 2004/11/17;

PMID: 12534662, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 11/6/2008)

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity - therapy
Cognition
Evidence-Based Medicine
Humans
Information Dissemination

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