OBJECTIVE: To analyse whether websites in Spanish are an adequate medium to be self-informed considering the surfing styles of Internet users. METHODS: In a real context 225 subjects searched for information on the Net to answer a series of questions on two diseases and one therapeutic technique. Also, they informed their habits when using Internet. RESULTS: Slightly more than the half of the questions were correctly answered. To find information, they visited more than 70 different pages in all cases. A major number of websites visited was not related with a better knowledge of treatment or illness (p>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: When health professionals recommend a website to a patient (web prescription) they must consider both, the quality of the information, and the style for surfing on the Net.
OBJECTIVE: To analyse whether websites in Spanish are an adequate medium to be self-informed considering the surfing styles of Internet users. METHODS: In a real context 225 subjects searched for information on the Net to answer a series of questions on two diseases and one therapeutic technique. Also, they informed their habits when using Internet. RESULTS: Slightly more than the half of the questions were correctly answered. To find information, they visited more than 70 different pages in all cases. A major number of websites visited was not related with a better knowledge of treatment or illness (p>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: When health professionals recommend a website to a patient (web prescription) they must consider both, the quality of the information, and the style for surfing on the Net.
Authors: José Joaquín Mira; Irene Carrillo; Carmen Silvestre; Pastora Pérez-Pérez; Cristina Nebot; Guadalupe Olivera; Javier González de Dios; Jesús María Aranaz Andrés Journal: BMJ Open Date: 2018-06-15 Impact factor: 2.692