Hoek, N. van der (Niek) (2017) The Usefulness of the Internet for Fracture Clinic Patients to answer Fracture specific Questions. thesis, Medicine.
Full text available on request.Abstract
Background: Although it is unclear if shared-decision making is appropriate for all patients in all conditions, many benefits of shared-decision making have been found. To help the patients in gaining the information necessary to have an active role in the decision making, the internet can be used. The aim of this study was twofold: (1) to assess the ability of fracture clinic patients to interpret the available online information on fracture care and (2) to assess the quality and readability of the websites for the 10 most common fractures in the Netherlands. Methods: We included 104 participants with the following 5 common fractures in this study: ankle, collarbone, elbow, shoulder and wrist fractures. Each participant has been given a laptop with internet access and a fracture specific questionnaire. The participant had to use the internet to answer the questionnaire. The questionnaire contains 10 demographic questions and 7 fractures specific questions. The primary outcome was the amount of questions answered correctly on the questionnaire. Secondary outcomes included the quality, using the DISCERN questionnaire, and readability, using the Flesch reading ease score, the presence of a HONcode accreditation and the affiliation of the websites used by the patient. Furthermore, we assessed the quality and readability of the online health information for the 10 most common fractures in the Netherlands. The first 10 websites on the Google results page generated searching with lay terms for the fractures. The primary outcome was the quality of the website, using the DISCERN score. Secondary outcomes included the readability, using the Douma formula, HONcode accreditation and website affiliation. Results: 48.1% of the participant of this study has used the internet to search for information about their current fracture. The mean (standard deviation) amount of right answered questions for each patient was 13.0 (4.1) out of a maximum of 20 points. The quality of the websites used to answer the questionnaire was fair with a mean (standard deviation) DISCERN score of 46.4 (11.8). The readability was appropriate for the average patient with a mean (standard deviation) of 55.9 (14.9). Websites with a HONcode and participants with a post-secondary degree had an association with more correct answers on the questionnaires. The quality of the online health information in the Netherlands was ‘poor’ with a mean (standard deviation) DISCERN of 36.4 (8.7). The readability of the websites was appropriate for the average patient with a mean (standard deviation) Douma score of 63.7 (7.5). Conclusion: The internet can be a useful tool for fracture clinic patients to answer questions about their fracture. Most questions were answered correctly and those who were not were mostly left blank. We advise physicians to inform patients about the HONcode accreditation since these websites are more likely to be useful. The online health information in the Netherlands is of poor quality but the readability is appropriate for the average patient. Health care professionals in the Netherlands are advised to provide the patient with enough information on the different treatment options and support shared decision making themselves and not to rely on the internet.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Thesis) |
|---|---|
| Supervisor name: | Faculty supervisor: and Kleinlugtenbelt Ydo VincentMD, PhD – Deventer Ziekenhuis |
| Supervisor name: | Local supervisors: and Ristevski, Bill MD and Madden, Kim MSc – McMaster University and Hamilton ON Canada |
| Faculty: | Medical Sciences |
| Date Deposited: | 25 Jun 2020 10:41 |
| Last Modified: | 25 Jun 2020 10:41 |
| URI: | https://umcg.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/286 |
Actions (login required)
 |
View Item |