[Adherence to codes of conduct for biomedical information on the internet in useful websites for pharmacotherapy follow-up].
OBJECTIVE
To assess adherence to four codes of conduct in websites providing information useful for pharmacotherapy follow-up.


METHODS
We performed a descriptive study of adherence to quality criteria in 19 websites. These sites had been identified in a previous study as being those most frequently used by pharmacists. A descriptive analysis was performed and the kappa coefficient was calculated to evaluate interrater concordance (Fleiss' criteria for evaluation of the kappa index).


RESULTS
The most highly rated source of clinical practice guidelines and that which adhered most closely to the 4 codes of conduct was Fisterra. The websites most highly rated in reviews and secondary sources were the Cochrane Library and PubMed. The most highly rated journals were JAMA and the BMJ, followed by Atención Primaria and Medicina Clínica. Among drug information guides, the highest scores were obtained by BOT and Martindale's. The highest rated drug bulletins were the Boletín Terapéutico Andaluz and Butlletí Groc. The most highly rated agency was the World Health Organization. The journals with the lowest scores were Pharmaceutical Care and Seguimiento Farmacoterapéutico followed by the Spanish Internacional Vademecum MediMedia-Medicom. According to Fleiss's criteria, interrater concordance was acceptable for the 4 codes.


CONCLUSIONS
The quality of the web sites evaluated varied widely, although most received scores of more than 60 points (out of 100) in the 4 codes of conduct used for evaluation.
Cengotitabengoa
Inés Azpilicueta
IA
Grupo de Investigación en Atención Farmacéutica, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de Granada, Granada, España.
Tamayo
Clara Bermúdez
CB
Castro
Martha Milena Silva
MM
Merino
Isabel Valverde
IV
Ayestaran
Amaia Martiarena
AM
Gutiérrez
José Francisco García
JF
Jiménez-Pernett
Jaime
J
Valls
Laura Tuneu
LT
Dáder
María José Faus
MJ
D032781:Codes of Ethics; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D004358:Drug Therapy; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet / Q000592:standards*; D010506:Periodicals as Topic; D010593:Pharmaceutical Services; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D039781:PubMed; D019984:Quality Indicators, Health Care