[An evaluation of web-based information about Barrett's esophagus in Korea].
OBJECTIVE
Internet has become an important source of medical information not only for doctors but also patients. However, information available in the Internet may provide wrong or even harmful knowledge to the public. The aim of this study was to evaluate the quality of Internet-based medical information about Barrett's esophagus in Korea.


METHODS
The first 50 Internet links were retrieved from the Google using the key word Barrett's esophagus. The quality of information from a total of 49 websites was evaluated using a checklist.


RESULTS
Among total 49 sites related to Barrett's esophagus, only 4 sites (8.2%) were made by hospitals or clinics, and 11 sites (22.4%) were for patients. Of the 49 sites, only one web site (2.0%) had all HON CODE principles (authority, complementarity, confidentiality, attribution, justifiability, transparency of authorship, transparency of sponsorship, honesty in advertising and editorial policy). Sixteen Internet links (32.0%) had fair contents for the definition, and 24 links (48.0%) for the diagnosis, and 15 links (30.0%) for the treatment.


CONCLUSIONS
Information about Barrett's esophagus was incomplete in the majority of medical web sites. It will bring about confusion in patients who want to get information about Barrett's esophagus from the Internet. There is a need for better evidence-based information about Barrett's esophagus on the web.
Park
Sung Hyun
SH
Department of Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, Korea.
Lee
Jun Haeng
JH
Kim
Kap Hyun
KH
Kang
Ki Joo
KJ
Kim
Sang Jung
SJ
Lee
Seung Chul
SC
Kim
Jin Yong
JY
Rhee
Poong-Lyul
PL
Kim
Jae J
JJ
Rhee
Jong Chul
JC
D001471:Barrett Esophagus / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy; D006266:Health Education; D006801:Humans; D007255:Information Services; D020407:Internet; D007723:Korea; D008490:Medical Informatics; D011787:Quality of Health Care; D014584:User-Computer Interface