Dataset Information

Accuracy and Reliability of Internet Resources Providing Information on Obstructive Sleep Apnea.

ABSTRACT:

Study objectives

To evaluate the readability, content, and quality of internet information about obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

Methods

Three major search engines (Google, Yahoo, and Bing) were used to retrieve the first 200 hits for the term "sleep apnea." The website contents were assessed using established guidelines, while the website quality was evaluated using the validated DISCERN instrument and Journal of the American Medical Association benchmarks.

Results

In total, 243 websites met the inclusion criteria for this study. The websites were divided into five categories: scientific resource, foundation, news/ media report, commercial website, and personal commentary. The mean Flesch-Kincaid grade level, which indicated the readability of the websites, was 7.5. The quality of most websites was poor, with news/media reports and commercial websites exhibiting poorer quality than the others. The Health On the Net (HON) code, which certifies the reliability and credibility of online content regarding human health, was applied only to 14.3% websites; the reliability of all these websites was poor. The content score for the diagnosis and management of OSA was lower for news/media reports and commercial websites than for scientific resources. News/media reports exhibited the worst content scores.

Conclusions

Our findings suggest that most online health resources regarding OSA are not reliable and are inaccurate. Health care providers should be aware of the high variability in online information concerning OSA.

Commentary

A commentary on this article appears in this issue on page 1643.

SUBMITTER: Lee J

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6175792 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Similar Datasets

Project description:Study objectivesThe efficacy of portable-monitor (PM) sleep testing in children is not well understood. While most studies have evaluated PM in a lab setting, the utility of PM in the home environment is relatively unknown. We sought to determine whether home PM accurately diagnoses obstructive sleep apnea in adolescents and to assess patient satisfaction with home PM sleep testing.MethodsWe evaluated adolescents (age 12-18 years) with suspected obstructive sleep apnea using a PM device. In addition to in-laboratory polysomnography (PSG), all participants had PM testing performed twice, once in their home and once concurrent to in-laboratory PSG. PM was compared to PSG using 2 primary outcomes: the apnea-hypopnea index and oxygen desaturation index. All participants were approached for interview to evaluate their experience with PM sleep testing.ResultsTwenty adolescents participated. Bland-Altman analysis comparing the apnea-hypopnea index and oxygen desaturation index determined by home or in-laboratory PM to in-laboratory PSG revealed mostly agreement; however, some deviations were observed when either parameter was markedly increased. While PM testing tended to underestimate the apnea-hypopnea index, the diagnostic agreement between home PM and PSG was 80% (by the White-Westbrook method). Most preferred PM to PSG and found PM easy to very easy to set up.ConclusionsIn a small cohort of adolescents, our study supports the application of home PM in the diagnosis of suspected obstructive sleep apnea. Until studies implementing PM using larger cohorts become readily available, the findings from this preliminary study could contribute to adolescents receiving sleep apnea therapy more promptly.Clinical trial registrationRegistry: ClinicalTrials.gov; Identifier: NCT03748771. At the time of issue publication, this registration is not publicly available because the trial includes a device that is not approved or cleared for use in pediatric populations. Once the device is FDA cleared, the registration will become public.