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Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has generated an increase in information about this disease, so it is essential to guarantee the credibility and reliability of the web pages that provide this information. Objective: To evaluate the reliability of health information in Spanish on COVID-19 in Google, considering the criteria of the HONcode tool. Material and methods: Observational cross-sectional study. Google web pages were analyzed on December 2020 from Lima-Peru, using 4 terms. The reliability of the health information on the web pages was evaluated using HONcode tool (version 3.1.3). They were classified according to the source of information and its origin. Statistical analysis was performed for a significance level of p

(1) Background: Different sources of information are used by the population regarding skin cancer prevention. The pertinent quality of information that can be retrieved via an internet search engine needs assessment, (2) Methods: Four topical searches in common language were entered into Google™. The first 200 “hits” were stored for further use. Eligible websites were evaluated using content-based criteria based on the current German medical guideline “Skin cancer prevention” and employing generic (DISCERN, HONcode) quality criteria. (3) Results: Overlap between the four search results was between 0 and 7 of 200. The completeness of relevant content was scored with a median of 10 points (first quartile (Q1):6, Q3:14) and thus, it was much lower than the theoretical maximum of 43 points. Global quality, with a maximum of 10 points, was 3 in median (Q1:2, Q3:4). Quality and completeness, respectively, were somewhat higher in the higher ranks of search results. The generic quality was moderate. (4) Conclusions: A direct comparison with other sources of information (print, audio-visual, presentation, or personal counselling) is not possible, but important deficits concerning the quality and scope of relevant information on the internet are demonstrated.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has generated an increase in information about this disease, so it is essential to guarantee the credibility and reliability of the web pages that provide this information. Objective: To evaluate the reliability of health information in Spanish on COVID-19 in Google, considering the criteria of the HONcode tool. Material and methods: Observational cross-sectional study. Google web pages were analyzed on December 2020 from Lima-Peru, using 4 terms. The reliability of the health information on the web pages was evaluated using HONcode tool (version 3.1.3). They were classified according to the source of information and its origin. Statistical analysis was performed for a significance level of p

Background: In today's technologically advanced world, 75% of patients have used Google to search for health information. As a result, health care professionals fear that patients may be misinformed. Currently, there is a paucity of data on the quality and readability of Web-based health information on fractures. Objectives: In this study, we assessed the quality and readability of Web-based health information related to the 10 most common fractures. Methods: Using the Google search engine, we assessed websites from the first results page for the 10 most common fractures using lay search terms. Website quality was measured using the DISCERN instrument, which scores websites as very poor (15-22.5), poor (22.5-37.5), fair (37.5-52.5), good (52.5-67.5), or excellent (67.5-75). The presence of Health on the Net code (HONcode) certification was assessed for all websites. Website readability was measured using the Flesch Reading Ease Score (0-100), where 60-69 is ideal for the general public, and the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL; −3.4 to ∞), where the mean FKGL of the US adult population is 8. Results: Overall, website quality was “fair” for all fractures, with a mean (standard deviation) DISCERN score of 50.3 (5.8). The DISCERN score correlated positively with a higher website position on the search results page (r2=0.1, P=.002) and with HONcode certification (P=.007). The mean (standard deviation) Flesch Reading Ease Score and FKGL for all fractures were 62.2 (9.1) and 6.7 (1.6), respectively. Conclusion: The quality of Web-based health information on fracture care is fair, and its readability is appropriate for the general public. To obtain higher quality information, patients should select HONcode-certified websites. Furthermore, patients should select websites that are positioned higher on the results page because the Google ranking algorithms appear to rank the websites by quality. [Interact J Med Res 2016;5(2):e19]