Diving into the Digital Landscape: Assessing the Quality of Online Information on Neonatal Jaundice for Parents

Overview

Journal Children (Basel)

Specialty Health Services

Date 2024 Jul 27

PMID 39062327

Authors

Michael Karl Baumgartner

Anna-Lena Behr

Anne Christina Garbe

Christoph Quatember

Heiko Reutter

Joachim Woelfle

Fabian Benedikt Fahlbusch

Gregor Hanslik

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: Hyperbilirubinemia is a common condition in newborns. While mild cases of jaundice are common and typically resolve spontaneously, severe hyperbilirubinemia can lead to serious neurologic complications if left untreated. With the constant adaptation of guidelines, clinical management has significantly improved, and treatment has become routine for pediatricians. However, for parents of affected children, managing the condition is not routine. In today's digital age, parents often seek additional information by accessing a wide range of medical resources on the internet. While this can be empowering, it also presents challenges, as the quality and accuracy of online medical information can vary widely. Therefore, we analyzed the current quality of information on jaundice found on the internet by parents.

Methods: A simulated internet search (using the Google search engine) was conducted from a layperson's perspective using German ("Neugeborenes Gelbsucht", "Baby Gelbsucht") and English ("jaundice newborn", "jaundice baby") search terms. Subsequently, the quality of the search results was assessed by two independent neonatologists based on the DISCERN Plus Score, HONcode certification, and the JAMA criteria.

Results: Websites targeting non-medical laypersons exhibited significant variability in quality. Notably, the content of English websites was superior to that of websites in the German language. The majority of English sites were predominantly institutional, whereas most German sites were commercially oriented.

Conclusions: Although information on jaundice is readily accessible online for non-medical individuals, there were notable differences in quality based on language and significant variability in the quality of information warranting attention from healthcare professionals. Furthermore, German websites providing information on jaundice were often hosted by commercial organizations. We propose that pediatric societies engage in developing and maintaining organization-based medical information to improve online resources for parents.

References

Trotter A . [Quality of Care for Very Low Birth Weight Infants in Germany - Evaluation of Publicly Available Data from 2014 to 2018]. Z Geburtshilfe Neonatol. 2021; 225(1):74-79. PMC: 7892207. DOI: 10.1055/a-1350-3953. View

Sacchetti P, Zvara P, Plante M . The Internet and patient education--resources and their reliability: focus on a select urologic topic. Urology. 1999; 53(6):1117-20. DOI: 10.1016/s0090-4295(98)00662-1. View

FERREIRA H, CARDIM W, MELLONE O . [Phototherapy. A new therapeutic method in hyperbilirubinemia of the newborn]. J Pediatr (Rio J). 1960; 25:347-91. View

Schneider 2nd A . Breast milk jaundice in the newborn. A real entity. JAMA. 1986; 255(23):3270-4. View

Boyer C, Selby M, Scherrer J, Appel R . The Health On the Net Code of Conduct for medical and health Websites. Comput Biol Med. 1998; 28(5):603-10. DOI: 10.1016/s0010-4825(98)00037-7. View

Yilmaz A, Ozkiraz S, Akcan A, Canpolat M . Low-cost home-use light-emitting-diode phototherapy as an alternative to conventional methods. J Trop Pediatr. 2015; 61(2):113-8. DOI: 10.1093/tropej/fmu076. View

Janssen S, Fahlbusch F, Kasmann L, Rades D, Vordermark D . Radiotherapy for prostate cancer: DISCERN quality assessment of patient-oriented websites in 2018. BMC Urol. 2019; 19(1):42. PMC: 6537434. DOI: 10.1186/s12894-019-0474-4. View

Janssen S, Kasmann L, Fahlbusch F, Rades D, Vordermark D . Side effects of radiotherapy in breast cancer patients : The Internet as an information source. Strahlenther Onkol. 2017; 194(2):136-142. DOI: 10.1007/s00066-017-1197-7. View

Schaeffer D, Berens E, Vogt D, Gille S, Griese L, Klinger J . Health Literacy in Germany - Findings of a Representative Follow-up Survey. Dtsch Arztebl Int. 2021; 118(43):723-728. PMC: 8820084. DOI: 10.3238/arztebl.m2021.0310. View

10.

Wainstein B, Sterling-Levis K, Baker S, Taitz J, Brydon M . Use of the Internet by parents of paediatric patients. J Paediatr Child Health. 2006; 42(9):528-32. DOI: 10.1111/j.1440-1754.2006.00916.x. View

11.

Chang P, Waite W . Evaluation of Home Phototherapy for Neonatal Hyperbilirubinemia. J Pediatr. 2020; 220:80-85. DOI: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2020.01.004. View

12.

CREMER R, PERRYMAN P, Richards D . Influence of light on the hyperbilirubinaemia of infants. Lancet. 1958; 1(7030):1094-7. DOI: 10.1016/s0140-6736(58)91849-x. View

13.

Alken J, Hakansson S, Ekeus C, Gustafson P, Norman M . Rates of Extreme Neonatal Hyperbilirubinemia and Kernicterus in Children and Adherence to National Guidelines for Screening, Diagnosis, and Treatment in Sweden. JAMA Netw Open. 2019; 2(3):e190858. PMC: 6583272. DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2019.0858. View

14.

Freda V, Gorman J, Pollack W . SUCCESSFUL PREVENTION OF EXPERIMENTAL RH SENSITIZATION IN MAN WITH AN ANTI-RH GAMMA2-GLOBULIN ANTIBODY PREPARATION: A PRELIMINARY REPORT. Transfusion. 1964; 4:26-32. DOI: 10.1111/j.1537-2995.1964.tb02824.x. View

15.

Perzel S, Huebner H, Rascher W, Menendez-Castro C, Hartner A, Fahlbusch F . Searching the web: a survey on the quality of advice on postnatal sequelae of intrauterine growth restriction and the implication of developmental origins of health and disease. J Dev Orig Health Dis. 2017; 8(5):604-612. DOI: 10.1017/S2040174417000332. View

16.

YAMANOUCHI I, Yamauchi Y, Igarashi I . Transcutaneous bilirubinometry: preliminary studies of noninvasive transcutaneous bilirubin meter in the Okayama National Hospital. Pediatrics. 1980; 65(2):195-202. View

17.

Khoo K, Bolt P, Babl F, Jury S, Goldman R . Health information seeking by parents in the Internet age. J Paediatr Child Health. 2008; 44(7-8):419-23. DOI: 10.1111/j.1440-1754.2008.01322.x. View

18.

Finn R, Clarke C, DONOHOE W, McConnell R, Sheppard P, Lehane D . Experimental studies on the prevention of Rh haemolytic disease. Br Med J. 1961; 1(5238):1486-90. PMC: 1954586. DOI: 10.1136/bmj.1.5238.1486. View

19.

Karatas C, Caldwell P, Scott K . How paediatricians communicate with parents who access online health information. J Paediatr Child Health. 2022; 58(12):2169-2176. PMC: 10087747. DOI: 10.1111/jpc.16176. View

20.

Farouk Z, Usman F, Musa B, Ezeaka V, Okolo A . Societal awareness on neonatal hyperbilirubinemia: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Semin Perinatol. 2020; 45(1):151361. DOI: 10.1016/j.semperi.2020.151361. View