Digesting the Contents: an Analysis of Online Colorectal Cancer Education Websites
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Digesting the Contents: an Analysis of Online Colorectal Cancer Education Websites Lisa Wang 1
&
Eva M. Gusnowski 2 & Paris-Ann Ingledew 3,4
Accepted: 2 September 2020 # American Association for Cancer Education 2020
Abstract Online educational resources have an impact on patient understanding, opinion, and behavior. More colorectal cancer patients are being diagnosed and using the internet to search for information. This study aims to provide the most in-depth and comprehensive examination of online colorectal resources to date. An internet search using the terms “colorectal cancer,” “colon cancer,” and “rectal cancer” were performed, with meta-search engines “Dogpile,” “Yippy,” and “Google.” A total of 741, 759, and 703 websites were returned by the search engines respectively. A list of the “top 100 websites” was compiled by placing the sites in average rank order. The websites were evaluated using a validated structured rating tool. Inter-rater reliability was evaluated using kappa statistics, and the results were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Website affiliations were 40% commercial and 35% from non-profit organizations. Most websites disclosed ownership (93%) and had no apparent bias (94%). Authorship disclosure was poor (17%). Most sites were interactive (84%) and organized (70% with at least 4/5 features). Readability was at a senior high school level on average. Content coverage and accuracy were the highest in the areas of etiology (96% coverage) and symptoms (95% coverage) and lowest in areas of treatment (72% coverage) and prognosis (43% coverage). Colorectal cancer online information can be improved in accountability, readability, content accuracy, and completeness. Author disclosure, more accurate and updated citations, and a lower grade level of readability are needed. More complete and accurate information are needed, especially in the areas of treatment and prognosis. Keywords Internet . Online resources . Colorectal cancer . Colon cancer . Patient education . Quality
Introduction The use of online health education resources is continually increasing. A decade ago, in 2008, approximately 50% of * Paris-Ann Ingledew [email protected] Lisa Wang [email protected] Eva M. Gusnowski [email protected] 1
Department of Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, 5950 University Blvd, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3, Canada
2
Department of Orthopedic Surgery, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive N.W., Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada
3
Department of Radiation Oncology, British Columbia Cancer -Vancouver Center, 6600 West 10th Ave, Vancouver, BC V5Z 4E6, Canada
4
Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, 2775 Laurel Street, Vancouver, BC V5Z 1M9, Canada
patients were using the internet to find health information. In 2017, it was estimated that about 90% of adults use the internet and 72% of internet users searched online for health information within the past year [1, 2]. This utilization of online resources has a signif
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