Accepted for/Published in: Journal of Medical Internet Research
Date Submitted: Jul 17, 2020
Date Accepted: Mar 17, 2021
Date Submitted to PubMed: Mar 31, 2021
Appendicitis and patient information: content analysis of websites using the EQIP tool
ABSTRACT
Background:
Appendicitis is a common surgical problem amongst the young adult population, who are likely to use the Internet to obtain medical information. This information may determine the health-seeking behaviour of an individual and may delay medical attention. Little is known regarding the quality of patient information on appendicitis on the Internet as this has not been previously studied.
Objective:
The objective of this study was to evaluate the quality of information provided by websites that discuss appendicitis, intended for patients.
Methods:
We conducted a systematic review of information on appendicitis available online using 4 search terms in google ‘appendicitis’ ‘appendix’, ‘appendectomy’ and ‘appendicectomy’. The top 100 websites of every search term were assessed using the validated ’Ensuring Quality Information for Patients’ (EQIP) tool (Score 0-36).
Results:
A total of 119 websites met the eligibility criteria for evaluation. The overall median EQIP score for all websites was 20 (Interquartile range 18-22). More than half the websites originated from the USA (53%). 45% of all websites originated from hospitals, though 43% of these did not mention qualitative risks from surgery. Incidence rates were only provided for complications and mortality in 13% and 3% of all websites respectively.
Conclusions:
The assessment of the quality and readability of websites concerning appendicitis by the EQIP tool indicates that most sites online were of poor credibility, with minimal information regarding complication rates and mortality. To improve education and awareness of appendicitis, there is an immediate need for more informative and patient-centred websites that are more compatible with international quality standards.
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