Friday 30 March 2012

Online Information

The paper, The Internet as a Course for Current Patient Information, by McClung et al ( 1998) looks at the quality of information available to patients online. A recurring theme in my thoughts and work!

Again, it is America, but UK equivalents of the APP exist. Perhaps unsurprisingly, they found that only 20% were in-line with current APP recommendations, and that the source of the information (even if from a major academic medical center) did not improve the likelihood of compliance.

Another study shows the reading level required to access this information is considerably higher than that held by the majority of the population. Although published in 1999, the issue is still relevant.  
Readability levels of patient education material on the World Wide Web, Graber et al, (1999) Journal of Family Practice

No comments:

Post a Comment