title: Quality of information for women seeking breast augmentation in the Internet.
abstract: Background Recently published data show that many women interested in breast augmentation (BA) actively search the Internet for information. The Internet is currently the main source of information on this topic. Objectives Little is known about the quality of available information on the Internet concerning BA. The goal was to evaluate this in a systematic manner using a validated and reproducible tool. Methods Women (n = 96) unrelated to medicine were asked which keywords they would use to search the Internet if they were interested in BA. Five keywords were used. Qualitative and quantitative assessment was performed with the modified Ensuring Quality Information for Patients (EQIP) tool. A total of 2500 websites containing information on BA were identified using Google, Bing, Yahoo, Ask, and AOL. Results Out of 623 eligible websites, only 153 (25%) addressed more than 20 EQIP items. Scores were higher for encyclopaedias and academic websites compared to hospital and practitioner websites. The median EQIP score was only 15 (IQR = 12-20), and quantitative postoperative morbidity and mortality risk estimates were available in only 38% and 25% of the websites, respectively. Major complications (e.g. capsular contraction, implant safety) were mentioned in only 156 (25%) of the websites. Conclusions This is the first assessment of online patient information on BA using the EQIP tool. This analysis demonstrated several shortcomings in the quality of information provided to BA candidates. There is an immediate need for better informative and educational websites regarding BA procedures that are compatible with international quality standards for plastic surgery.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Plastic Surgery and Hand Surgery , University Hospital Zurich , Switzerland ;
authors.forename: Adrian Fernando
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Palma
authors.affiliation: b Department of Surgery , Citizens Hospital Solothurn , Switzerland ;
authors.forename: Grzegorz
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zuk
authors.affiliation: c Department of Visceral and Transplantation Surgery , University Hospital Zurich, Switzerland and Department of Surgery, Cantonal Hospital Olten , Switzerland ;
authors.forename: Dimitri Aristotle
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Raptis
authors.affiliation: a Department of Plastic Surgery and Hand Surgery , University Hospital Zurich , Switzerland ;
authors.forename: Sophia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Franck
authors.affiliation: a Department of Plastic Surgery and Hand Surgery , University Hospital Zurich , Switzerland ;
authors.forename: Gertraud
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Eylert
authors.affiliation: a Department of Plastic Surgery and Hand Surgery , University Hospital Zurich , Switzerland ;
authors.forename: Florian Samuel
authors.initials: FS
authors.lastname: Frueh
authors.affiliation: a Department of Plastic Surgery and Hand Surgery , University Hospital Zurich , Switzerland ;
authors.forename: Merlin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Guggenheim
authors.affiliation: d Department of Plastic Surgery and Hand Surgery , University Hospital Bern , Switzerland.
authors.forename: Maziar
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shafighi
mesh_terms: D054626:Consumer Health Information / Q000592:standards*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D016462:Mammaplasty; D011786:Quality Control
keywords: Breast augmentation; EQIP; IPDAS; Internet; consumer health information; mammoplasty; patient education handout; patients; plastic surgery; women