Evaluating evidence found on the Internet

AORN Journal, Nov, 2000 by Suzanne C. Beyea

USING A MNEMONIC DEVICE

One's motto should be "reader beware." A simple mnemonic device that can be used is: "Are you PLEASED with the site?"

* Purpose of the site (ie, clearly explained, appropriate content for the purpose);

* Links (ie, working links, reliable, linking to reputable sources);

* Editorial (ie, accurate and current);

* Author (ie, who is the author? Is the author appropriate for the content, with credentials identified and relevant?);

* Site (ie, easy and fast navigation, pages download quickly, judicious use of graphics);

* Ethical (ie, contact information for author is included, full disclosure of purpose and objectives of the site are outlined); and

* Dates (ie, information is posted on when site was created and last updated, site has been updated within a reasonable period [ie, six months] for time sensitive information).(3)

This approach can be applied readily to many situations by both professionals and patients and is consistent with published recommendations related to quality standards for medical information on the Internet (Table 1).(4)

Table 1 EVALUATING INFORMATION ON THE INTERNET(1)

Core standard                    Characteristics

Authorship who wrote it, and     Authors names, credentials,
who do they work for?            and affiliations.

Attribution where did this       References and sources clearly
come from?                       identified, along with copyright
                                 information.

Disclosure who owns this web     Ownership, sponsorship, and
site, and who pays to have the   advertising support specifically
information posted?              stated.

Currency when was this           Date content was posted and most
information posted and last      recently updated.
updated?

NOTE

(1.) W M Silberg, G D Lundberg, R A Musacchio, Assessing, controlling, and assuring the quality of medical information on the Internet: Caveant lector et viewor Let the reader and viewer beware, JAMA 277 (April 16, 1997) 1244-1245.

THE DISCERN INSTRUMENT

The Discern Instrument, located at http://www.discern.org.uk/ discern_instrument, is the first standardized instrument to evaluate the quality of consumer health information (Table 2). It offers a useful approach specifically designed to help anyone who uses consumer health information judge the quality of written materials about treatment choices. This instrument can help users assess the reliability of a publication and rate the quality of its content. This rigorously developed and tested instrument provides a valid and reliable way of assessing quality and establishes a standard for consumer health information.

Table 2 THE DISCERN INSTRUMENT