Evaluation of the quality of self-education mammography material availablefor patients on the Internet

Rationale and Objectives. The Internet offers many advantages for educating patients but has no standards for publication. This limitation could negat ively affect patient care. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the qu ality of information on mammography that a patient could find on the Intern et. Materials and Methods. Three search utilities were used to research the ter m "mammography." For each utility, the first 50 addresses for Web pages wer e evaluated (or all the addresses, if fewer than 50 were returned). Web sit es selected contained information that could guide an asymptomatic woman in deciding whether to undergo screening mammography. These sites were then e valuated for whether they indicated their sponsorship, authorship, the curr ency of information, and references. Sites were also noted if they advised women older than 50 years to undergo screening mammography at intervals of longer than 1 year or otherwise severely diminished the role of mammography . Results. Thirty-eight Web sites were identified. Ten indicated authorship, 29 indicated the currency of the information, and 27 provided references. A ll of the Web sites indicated sponsorship. Three sites recommended screenin g mammography at intervals of longer than 1 year for women 50 years of age or older. Two sites suggested that mammography is not substantially more se nsitive than physical examination. Conclusion. Many Web sites do not meet the standards for disseminating info rmation required in professional peer-reviewed journals. Some Web sites con tain statements that might lead asymptomatic women over age 50 years to del ay screening mammography or to undergo screening at intervals of longer tha n 1 year.