title: Accuracy of internet recommendations for prehospital care of venomous snake bites.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the accuracy of Internet information regarding the prehospital care of venomous snake bites.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two major search engines were used to identify 48 Web sites regarding 6 prehospital treatment options for snake bite (removal of constrictive devices, ice, heat, electric shock, incision, and suction). Web sites were evaluated for their quality using the Health on the Net (HON) seal and Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) benchmarks.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 48 Web sites reviewed, 26 (54.1%) contained inappropriate recommendations. The remaining 22 Web sites were appropriate regarding all modalities addressed. Among the Web sites reviewed, inappropriate treatment recommendations included: suction (14); ice (6); incision (4); electric shock (1). Five Web sites that met all 4 JAMA benchmarks and the HON seal included 3 inappropriate treatment recommendations. Conversely, the 5 Web sites that met none of the JAMA benchmarks nor included the HON seal included only 2 inappropriate treatment measures.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study highlights the variety of misinformation available on the Internet regarding prehospital care of snake bites, and the unreliability of the HON seal and JAMA benchmarks as markers of accuracy. As the Internet becomes an increasing source of medical information for both the public and clinicians, the importance of accurate Web sites becomes imperative. Clinicians and lay people should be aware of the high variability of Internet information regarding snake bite prehospital care.
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA. sarahbarker@mac.com
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Barker
authors.forename: Nathan P
authors.initials: NP
authors.lastname: Charlton
authors.forename: Christopher P
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Holstege
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019985:Benchmarking / Q000592:standards*; D003142:Communication; D059026:Diagnostic Self Evaluation; D004632:Emergency Medical Services / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D057386:Search Engine / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012909:Snake Bites / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy*