Pediatric surgery on the Internet: Is the truth out there?

Background: The enormous amount of unmonitored medical information on the I nternet prompted this investigation into the quality of pediatric surgery i nformation on the Internet. Methods: The Internet was searched for information on diaphragmatic hernia (CDH), abdominal wall defects (AWD), pediatric inguinal hernia (IH), and pe ctus excavatum (PE). Websites were characterized, classified, and evaluated for completeness, accuracy and bias toward or against the medical professi on. Results: A total of 141 websites were evaluated (N-CDH = 37, N-AWD = 49, N- IH = 26, N-PE = 29) A total of 59.6% targeted medical professionals, and 46 .8% targeted the lay population. A total of 58.2% described symptoms and di agnosis. Etiology, pathology, surgery, postoperative course, a nd prognosis each were addressed by under 40%. A total of 58.2% were accountable for th e information presented. A total of 93.1% were incomplete, 75.7% contained accurate information, and 97.7% were positive or neutral toward medical tre atment. Among diagnoses, CDH had the highest percentage of websites owned b y academic institutions. PE had the highest percentage of websites owned by lay people. PE websites also were the least accurate. Conclusions: Internet information on pediatric surgery varies significantly in quality. Lay people own most websites targeted at the lay audience, and the information may not reflect the opinions of most pediatric surgeons. I ncreasing use of the Internet by parents seeking medical information warran ts an organized approach to ensure complete and accurate information online . J Pediatr Surg 35:1179-1182. Copyright (C) 2000 by W.B. Saunders Company.