Patient-oriented methotrexate information sites on the Internet: a review of completeness, accuracy, format, reliability, credibility, and readability.
OBJECTIVE
With continuing use of the Internet, rheumatologists are referring patients to various websites to gain information about medications and diseases. Our goal was to develop and evaluate a Medication Website Assessment Tool (MWAT) for use by health professionals, and to explore the overall quality of methotrexate information presented on common English-language websites.


METHODS
Identification of websites was performed using a search strategy on the search engine Google. The first 250 hits were screened. Inclusion criteria included those English-language websites from authoritative sources, trusted medical, physicians', and common health-related websites. Websites from pharmaceutical companies, online pharmacies, and where the purpose seemed to be primarily advertisements were also included. Product monographs or technical-based web pages and web pages where the information was clearly directed at patients with cancer were excluded. Two reviewers independently scored each included web page for completeness and accuracy, format, readability, reliability, and credibility. An overall ranking was provided for each methotrexate information page.


RESULTS
Twenty-eight web pages were included in the analysis. The average score for completeness and accuracy was 15.48+/-3.70 (maximum 24) with 10 out of 28 pages scoring 18 (75%) or higher. The average format score was 6.00+/-1.46 (maximum 8). The Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level revealed an average grade level of 10.07+/-1.84, with 5 out of 28 websites written at a reading level less than grade 8; however, no web page scored at a grade 5 to 6 level. An overall ranking was calculated identifying 8 web pages as appropriate sources of accurate and reliable methotrexate information.


CONCLUSIONS
With the enormous amount of information available on the Internet, it is important to direct patients to web pages that are complete, accurate, readable, and credible sources of information. We identified web pages that may serve the interests of both rheumatologists and patients.
Thompson
Andrew E
AE
Department of Medicine, University of Western Ontario, Rheumatology Centre, St. Joseph's Health Care, 268 Grosvenor Street, PO Box 5777, London, ON, Canada, N6A 4V2. andy.thompson@rogers.com
Graydon
Sara L
SL
D018501:Antirheumatic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006266:Health Education / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D033181:Information Dissemination; D007255:Information Services / Q000592:standards*; D020407:Internet / Q000592:standards*; D008727:Methotrexate / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012216:Rheumatic Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy; D014956:Writing
D018501:Antirheumatic Agents; D008727:Methotrexate