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Published in: Obesity Surgery 11/2014

01-11-2014 | Brief Communication

Evaluating the Quality of Internet Information for Bariatric Surgery

Authors: Khalid Akbari, Robin Som

Published in: Obesity Surgery | Issue 11/2014

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Abstract

Background

The internet is frequently used by patients seeking information on bariatric surgery. This study aims to evaluate the quality of this information.

Method

The terms ‘weight loss’; ‘weight loss surgery’, ‘obesity surgery’ and ‘bariatric surgery’ were searched for in three common search engines. The quality of websites retrieved was assessed with the DISCERN Plus tool.

Results

Thirty websites were assessed. The range of scores was 23–66 out of 80. On average, the quality of websites was of ‘poor’ to ‘fair’ quality.

Conclusion

The quality of information is highly variable, and on average of poor, or fair quality. Healthcare professionals should be aware of this when discussing bariatric surgery with patients who have sought information on the internet.
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Metadata
Title
Evaluating the Quality of Internet Information for Bariatric Surgery
Authors
Khalid Akbari
Robin Som
Publication date
01-11-2014
Publisher
Springer US
Published in
Obesity Surgery / Issue 11/2014
Print ISSN: 0960-8923
Electronic ISSN: 1708-0428
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11695-014-1403-y

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