Dataset Information

Orthopaedic Web Links (OWL): a way to find professional orthopaedic information on the internet.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Finding useful high-grade professional orthopaedic information on the Internet is often difficult. Orthopaedic Web Links (OWL) is a searchable database of vetted online orthopaedic resources. OWL uses a subject directory (OWL Directory) and a custom search engine (OWL Web) to provide a list of resources. The most effective way to find readily accessible, full text on-subject material suitable for education of an orthopaedic surgeon or trainee has not been defined. QUESTIONS/PURPOSES: We therefore (1) proposed a method for selecting topics and evaluating searches and (2) compared the search results from an orthopaedic-specific directory (OWL Directory), a custom search engine (OWL Web), and standard Google searches. METHODS: A scoring system for evaluation of the search results was developed for standardized comparison. Single words and sets of three words from randomly selected examination questions provided the search strings to compare the three strategies. RESULTS: For single keyword searches, the OWL Directory scored highest (16.4/50) of the three methods. For the three keywords searches, OWL Web had the highest mean score (26.0/50), followed by Google (22.8/50), and the OWL Directory (1.0/50). OWL Web searches had higher scores than Google searches, while returning 800 times fewer search results. CONCLUSION: The OWL Directory of orthopaedic subjects on the Internet provides a simple browsable category structure to find information. The OWL Web search engine scored higher than Google and resulted in a greater proportion of valid, on-subject, and accessible resources in the search results.

SUBMITTER: Clough JF

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3111805 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Orthopaedic Web Links (OWL): a way to find professional orthopaedic information on the internet.

Clough J F M JF Veillette C J H CJ

Clinical orthopaedics and related research 20110401 7

<h4>Background</h4>Finding useful high-grade professional orthopaedic information on the Internet is often difficult. Orthopaedic Web Links (OWL) is a searchable database of vetted online orthopaedic resources. OWL uses a subject directory (OWL Directory) and a custom search engine (OWL Web) to provide a list of resources. The most effective way to find readily accessible, full text on-subject material suitable for education of an orthopaedic surgeon or trainee has not been defined.<h4>Questions ...[more]

PMID: 21455801

Similar Datasets

Project description:BACKGROUND:Little is known about the exact process of how patients search for medical information on the internet and what they retrieve. There is especially a paucity of literature on browsing for information on minor ailments, a term used for harmless diseases that are very common in the general population and thus have a significant impact on health care. OBJECTIVE:This vignette-based experimental study aimed to explore what kind of Web-based search strategies are applied and how search strategies, demographic characteristics, and the quality of the visited websites relate to finding the right diagnosis. Additional goals were to describe how searching on the Web influences one's perception of the severity of the potential diagnosis and whether or not the participants would discuss the information they found on the internet with their doctors. METHODS:Out of 1372 survey participants, 355 were randomly sampled, and 155 of them were recruited and assigned to one of four clinical scenarios. Each search term they used was classified as one of three search strategies: (1) hypothesis testing, (2) narrowing within the general hypothesis area, and (3) symptom exploration. The quality of the websites used was determined by using the DISCERN instrument. To compare the diagnostic accuracy of the participants before and after the internet search, a McNemar test was used. Chi-square tests were used to describe which factors are related to the chosen search strategy. A multivariate binary logistic regression model was constructed to predict which factors are related to finding a sound diagnosis after searching the internet for health information. RESULTS:Most participants (65.8%, 102/155) used the symptom exploration strategy. However, this depends on the assigned scenario (P<.001) and the self-estimated severity score of the symptoms before the internet search (P=.001). A significant relation was found between choosing an accurate diagnosis and age (odds ratio [OR] 0.94, 95% CI 0.90 to 0.98) and the clinical scenario, as well as the use of high-quality websites (OR 7.49, 95% CI 1.85 to 30.26). Browsing the internet did not lead to a statistically significant change in participants' beliefs about the severity of the condition (McNemar test, P=.85). Most participants (65%) shared their retrieved information with their physician and most of them (75%) received a positive response. CONCLUSIONS:Our findings suggest that most patients use a symptom-based approach; however, if patients expect the potential diagnosis to be severe, they tend to use a hypothesis verification strategy more often and are therefore prone to certain forms of bias. In addition, self-diagnosing accuracy is related to younger age, the symptom scenario, and the use of high-quality websites. We should find ways to guide patients toward search strategies and websites that may more likely lead to accurate decision making.

Project description:BackgroundThe internet provides general users with wide access to medical information. However, regulating and controlling the quality and reliability of the considerable volume of available data is challenging, thus generating concerns about the consequences of inaccurate health care-related documentation. Several tools have been proposed to increase the transparency and overall trustworthiness of medical information present on the web.ObjectiveWe aimed to analyze and compare the quality and reliability of information about percutaneous coronary intervention on English, German, Hungarian, Romanian, and Russian language websites.MethodsFollowing a rigorous protocol, 125 websites were selected, 25 for each language sub-sample. The websites were assessed concerning their general characteristics, compliance with a set of eEurope 2002 credibility criteria, and quality of the informational content (namely completeness and accuracy), based on a topic-specific benchmark. Completeness and accuracy were graded independently by 2 evaluators. Scores were reported on a scale from 0 to 10. The 5 language subsamples were compared regarding credibility, completeness, and accuracy. Correlations between credibility scores on the one hand, and completeness and accuracy scores, on the other hand, were tested within each language subsample.ResultsThe websites' compliance with credibility criteria was average at best with scores between 3.0 and 6.0. In terms of completeness and accuracy, the website subsets qualified as poor or average, with scores ranging from 2.4 to 4.6 and 3.6 to 5.3, respectively. English language websites scored significantly higher in all 3 aspects, followed by German and Hungarian language websites. Only German language websites showed a significant correlation between credibility and information quality.ConclusionsThe quality of websites in English, German, Hungarian, Romanian, and Russian languages about percutaneous coronary intervention was rather inadequate and may raise concerns regarding their impact on informed decision-making. Using credibility criteria as indicators of information quality may not be warranted, as credibility scores were only exceptionally correlated with content quality. The study brings valuable descriptive data on the quality of web-based information regarding percutaneous coronary intervention in multiple languages and raises awareness about the need for responsible use of health-related web resources.

Project description:An aqueous environment is vital for life as we know it, and water is essential for nearly all biochemical processes at the molecular level. Proteins utilize water molecules in various ways. Consequently, proteins must transport water molecules across their internal network of tunnels to reach the desired action sites, either within them or by functioning as molecular pipes to control cellular osmotic pressure. Despite water playing a crucial role in enzymatic activity and stability, its transport has been largely overlooked, with studies primarily focusing on water transport across membrane proteins. The transport of molecules through a protein's tunnel network is challenging to study experimentally, making molecular dynamics simulations the most popular approach for investigating such events. In this study, we focused on the transport of water molecules across three different α/β-hydrolases: haloalkane dehalogenase, epoxide hydrolase, and lipase. Using a 5 μs adaptive simulation per system, we observed that only a few tunnels were responsible for the majority of water transport in dehalogenase, in contrast to a higher diversity of tunnels in other enzymes. Interestingly, water molecules could traverse narrow tunnels with subangstrom bottlenecks, which is surprising given the commonly accepted water molecule radius of 1.4 Å. Our analysis of the transport events in such narrow tunnels revealed a markedly increased number of hydrogen bonds formed between the water molecules and protein, likely compensating for the steric penalty of the process. Overall, these commonly disregarded narrow tunnels accounted for ∼20% of the total water transport observed, emphasizing the need to surpass the standard geometrical limits on the functional tunnels to properly account for the relevant transport processes. Finally, we demonstrated how the obtained insights could be applied to explain the differences in a mutant of the human soluble epoxide hydrolase associated with a higher incidence of ischemic stroke.

Project description:BackgroundIn the childbearing period women use the internet both to seek information and as an important source of communication. For women with type 1 diabetes, pregnancy and early motherhood constitute a more complex situation than for women in general. This implies need for support from various professionals and a way of bridging any discontinuity in care would be to develop a website providing complementary social support and information. The objective of this study was to explore internet use, needs, and expectations regarding web-based information and communication in childbearing women with type 1 diabetes.MethodsData were collected via a web-based survey with an explorative and descriptive design, in which 105 of 139 eligible mothers with type 1 diabetes and recent childbearing experience participated. The data were analyzed with descriptive and analytical statistics, and open answers with a directed content analysis.ResultsOf the 105 women, 22% never used the internet to search for information concerning pregnancy, childbirth, and parenthood. 12% searched for information every day, 29% one or more times a week, and 38% one or more times a month. Of the women 44% declared themselves to be passive participants on social websites, and 45% to be active participants. 45% had specific expectations of web-based support directed towards childbearing, especially those with higher educational level (P = .01). Expectations of instrumental and informational support included an expert-controlled website with reliable, updated, and information focused on childbearing and diabetes, improved access to diabetes care professionals and alternative ways to communicate and to receive childbearing-related support. The women also asked for online technical devices to manage the frequent monitoring of blood glucose during pregnancy. Informal, emotional, and appraisal support from women in similar situations was suggested as a way to provide an arena for belonging instead of creating feelings of alienation.ConclusionsOur results add important knowledge about the web-based needs of women with type 1 diabetes in relation to childbearing. This user directed study indicates specific areas of development for the provision of effective web-based support that includes facilities for reliable information, interactive support and social networking in this population.

Project description:BackgroundParents of children with rare conditions increasingly use the Internet to source information on their child's condition. This study reports on part of a larger study whose overall aim was to identify the Internet use by parents when seeking information on their child's rare condition, with the specific purpose of using the findings to aid in the development of a website specifically designed to meet the parents' needs. It presents findings on why these parents use the Internet, the information and support content they source, and the impact these resources have on their capacity to care for and manage their child's condition.ObjectiveTo (1) ascertain parents' general Internet usage patterns, (2) identify the nature of the information parents most frequently searched for, and (3) determine the effect the Internet-sourced information had on parents of children with rare conditions.MethodsData collection was conducted in 2 parts: Part 1 was a focus group interview (n=8) to inform the development of the questionnaire, and Part 2 was a questionnaire (Web- and paper-based). All respondents (N=128) completed the questionnaire using the Internet.ResultsParents frequently and habitually used the Internet and social media to gather information on their child's condition. These Web-based resources provide parents with a parent-to-parent support platform that allows them to share their experiences and information with other parents, which, the respondents considered, improved their knowledge and understanding of their child's condition. The respondents also reported that these resources positively impacted on their decision making, care, and management of their child's condition. However, they reported receiving mixed responses when wishing to engage and share with health care professionals their Internet and social media interactions and information outcomes.ConclusionsThis study adds to the emerging body of research on the Internet use by parents of children with rare conditions to source information on their child's condition. The evolving and ever increasing parent-to-parent support systems via social media are impacting on parents' capacity to manage their children. Implications for practice include health care professionals' response to this knowledge and capacity shift, and the significance of these changes when interacting with parents. The key message of this study was that parents of children with rare conditions are habitual users of the Internet to source information about their children's conditions. Social media, especially Facebook, has an increasing role in the lives of these parents for information and support. Parents' interest in information gathering and sharing includes a desire for shared dialogue with health care professionals.

Dataset Information

Orthopaedic Web Links (OWL): a way to find professional orthopaedic information on the internet.

Publications

Orthopaedic Web Links (OWL): a way to find professional orthopaedic information on the internet.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets