bims-librar Biomed News
on Biomedical librarianship
Issue of 2023‒07‒30
33 papers selected by
Thomas Krichel
Open Library Society


  1. J Med Libr Assoc. 2023 Jul 10. 111(3): 703-708
      Objective: This follow-up study aims to determine if and how the coverage of funding information in Web of Science Core Collection (WoS) and Scopus changed from 2015 to 2021.Methods: The number of all funded articles published in 2021 was identified in WoS and Scopus bibliographic databases using bibliometric analysis on a sample of 52 prestigious medical journals.
    Results: The analysis of the number of funded articles with funding information showed statistically significant differences between Scopus and WoS due to substantial differences in the number of funded articles between some single journals.
    Conclusion: Due to significant differences in the number of funded articles indexed in WoS and Scopus, which might be attributed to the different protocols for handling funding data in WoS and Scopus, we would still advise using both databases to obtain and analyze funding information.
    Keywords:  Research funding; bibliometrics; funding acknowledgement
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.5195/jmla.2023.1513
  2. J Med Libr Assoc. 2023 Jul 10. 111(3): 684-694
      Objective: In 2002, the National Library of Medicine (NLM) introduced semi-automated indexing of Medline using the Medical Text Indexer (MTI). In 2021, NLM announced that it would fully automate its indexing in Medline with an improved MTI by mid-2022. This pilot study examines indexing using a sample of records in Medline from 2000, and how an early, public version of MTI's outputs compares to records created by human indexers.Methods: This pilot study examines twenty Medline records from 2000, a year before the MTI was introduced as a MeSH term recommender. We identified twenty higher- and lower-impact biomedical journals based on Journal Impact Factor (JIF) and examined the indexing of papers by feeding their PubMed records into the Interactive MTI tool.
    Results: In the sample, we found key differences between automated and human-indexed Medline records: MTI assigned more terms and used them more accurately for citations in the higher JIF group, and MTI tended to rank the Male check tag more highly than the Female check tag and to omit Aged check tags. Sometimes MTI chose more specific terms than human indexers but was inconsistent in applying specificity principles.
    Conclusion: NLM's transition to fully automated indexing of the biomedical literature could introduce or perpetuate inconsistencies and biases in Medline. Librarians and searchers should assess changes to index terms, and their impact on PubMed's mapping features for a range of topics. Future research should evaluate automated indexing as it pertains to finding clinical information effectively, and in performing systematic searches.
    Keywords:  Automated indexing; Medical Text Indexer (MTI); Medline; PubMed.; human indexers; information retrieval
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.5195/jmla.2023.1588
  3. J Med Libr Assoc. 2023 Jul 10. 111(3): 696-702
      Objective: This study aims to find out the coverage of biomedical journals published in Sub-Saharan Africa in four authoritative international databases-Web of Science, Scopus, MEDLINE and EMBASE and two Africa-focused scholarly databases-Africa Journals Online (AJOL) and African Index Medicus (AIM).Methods: Lists of active journals that are published in the 46 Sub-Saharan African countries were retrieved from the Ulrich periodical directory to create master journal lists. Unique journals from other databases that were not found in Ulrich were added to the master journal list. The six databases included in this study were searched for journals on the master lists.
    Results: Only 23 of the 46 Sub-Saharan African countries had at least one biomedical journal. Only about one-quarter (152) of the 560 biomedical journals from Sub-Saharan Africa were found in at least one of the biomedical databases. South African journals accounted for more than 50% of all the Sub-Saharan journals in the international scholarly databases. AJOL contains the highest number of biomedical journals from Sub-Saharan Africa, followed by Scopus and EMBASE. AJOL asserts its importance by covering the highest number of unique journals and having a representative number of journals in all biomedical sub-disciplines.
    Conclusion: The majority of studies from Sub-Saharan Africa are left out when biomedical evidence-based researchers only retrieve studies from authoritative international databases. Searching Google Scholar and the African research databases of AJOL and AIM would increase the number of studies from the region.
    Keywords:  AJOL; African Index Medicus; African Journals Online; Biomedical research; EMBASE; MEDLINE; PubMed; Scopus; Sub-Saharan Africa; Web of Science
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.5195/jmla.2023.1448
  4. J Med Libr Assoc. 2023 Jul 10. 111(3): 728-732
      Background: The Weill Cornell Medicine, Samuel J. Wood Library's Systematic Review (SR) service began in 2011, with 2021 marking a decade of service. This paper will describe how the service policies have grown and will break down our service quantitatively over the past 11 years to examine SR timelines and trends.Case Presentation: We evaluated 11 years (2011-2021) of SR request data from our in-house documentation. In the years assessed, there have been 319 SR requests from 20 clinical departments, leading to 101 publications with at least one librarian collaborator listed as co-author. The average review took 642 days to publication, with the longest at 1408 days, and the shortest at 94 days. On average, librarians spent 14.7 hours in total on each review. SR projects were most likely to be abandoned at the title/abstract screening phase. Several policies have been put into place over the years in order to accommodate workflows and demand for our service.
    Discussion: The SR service has seen several changes since its inception in 2011. Based on the findings and emerging trends discussed here, our service will inevitably evolve further to adapt to these changes, such as machine learning-assisted technology.
    Keywords:  Evidence synthesis; library services; meta-analysis; research services; systematic reviews
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.5195/jmla.2023.1628
  5. J Med Libr Assoc. 2023 Jul 10. 111(3): 665-676
      Objective: The Core Clinical Journals (CCJ) list, produced by the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), has been used by clinicians and librarians for half a century for two main purposes: narrowing a literature search to clinically useful journals and identifying high priority titles for library collections. After documentation of low usage of the existing CCJ, a review was undertaken to assess current validity, followed by an update to current clinical needs.Methods: As the subject coverage of the 50-year-old list had never been evaluated, the CCJ committee began its innovative step-wise approach by analyzing the existing subject scope. To determine whether clinical subjects had changed over the last half-century, the committee collected data on journal usage in hospitals and medical facilities, adding journal usage from Morning Report blogs recording the journal article citations used by physicians and residents in response to clinical questions. Patient-driven high-frequency diagnoses and subjects added contextual data by depicting the clinical environment.
    Results: The analysis identified a total of 80 subjects and selected 241 journals for the updated Clinical Journals filter, based on actual clinical utility of each journal.
    Discussion: These data-driven methods created a different framework for evaluating the structure and content of this filter. It is the real-world evidence needed to highlight CCJ clinical impact and push clinically useful journals to first page results. Since the new process resulted in a new product, the name warrants a change from Core Clinical Journals (CCJ) to Clinically Useful Journals (CUJ). Therefore, the redesigned NLM Core Clinical Journals/AIM set from this point forward will be referred to as Clinically Useful Journals (CUJ). The evidence-based process used to reframe evaluation of the clinical impact and utility of biomedical journals is documented in this article.
    Keywords:  MEDLINE; PubMed; bibliographic; clinical medicine; databases; evidence-based medicine; periodicals as topic
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.5195/jmla.2023.1631
  6. J Med Libr Assoc. 2023 Jul 10. 111(3): 657-664
      Objective: We sought to determine how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted academic health sciences library workshops. We hypothesized that health sciences libraries moved workshops online during the height of the pandemic and that they continued to offer workshops virtually after restrictions were eased. Additionally, we believed that attendance increased.Methods: In March 2022, we invited 161 Association of American Health Sciences Libraries members in the US and Canada to participate in a Qualtrics survey about live workshops. Live workshops were defined as synchronous; voluntary; offered to anyone regardless of school affiliation; and not credit-bearing. Three time periods were compared, and a chi square test of association was conducted to evaluate the relationship between time period and workshop format.
    Results: Seventy-two of 81 respondents offered live workshops. A chi square test of association indicated a significant association between time period and primary delivery method, chi-square (4, N=206) = 136.55, p< .005. Before March 2020, 77% of respondents taught in person. During the height of the pandemic, 91% taught online and 60% noted higher attendance compared to pre-pandemic numbers. During the second half of 2021, 65% of workshops were taught online and 43% of respondents felt that attendance was higher than it was pre-pandemic. Overall workshop satisfaction was unchanged (54%) or improved (44%).
    Conclusion: Most health sciences librarians began offering online workshops following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. More than half of respondents were still teaching online in the second half of 2021. Some respondents reported increased attendance with similar levels of satisfaction.
    Keywords:  COVID-19; Workshops; surveys and questionnaires
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.5195/jmla.2023.1663
  7. J Med Libr Assoc. 2023 Jul 10. 111(3): 722-727
      Background: Having diverse representation in clinical trial participation is important. Historically, rural residents have been underrepresented in clinical trial research. Public librarians have an opportunity to promote clinical trial participation among rural residents by offering consumer health information services that help patrons to understand what clinical trials are and how they can find relevant clinical trials.Case Presentation: A consumer health library and a clinical trial center located at a large academic medical center collaborated to provide clinical trial information programming to rural public libraries. The group was awarded a Network of the National Library of Medicine (NNLM) Community Outreach Grant and was able to plan, develop, promote, and implement programs including training workshops, a speaker event, and a book discussion to rural public librarians.
    Discussion: Marketing the programs to rural public libraries was difficult and many barriers were encountered. Though registration and subsequent participation were low, participants expressed interest and gratitude for the programs. For any future programs targeting this population, further strategies will need to be implemented to ensure increased registrations and attendees.
    Keywords:  Outreach; clinical trials; consumer health; consumer health library; health literacy; public library
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.5195/jmla.2023.1650
  8. J Med Libr Assoc. 2023 Jul 10. 111(3): 630-656
      Objective: We sought to identify trends and themes in how academic health sciences libraries in the United States, Canada, and Mexico have supported engagement and outreach with Native Americans, Alaska Natives, First Nations, and Indigenous peoples, in or from those same countries. We also sought to learn and share effective practices for libraries engaging with these communities.Methods: We conducted a scoping review utilizing Arksey and O'Malley's framework for scoping reviews and followed principles from JBI Manual for Evidence Synthesis. We searched seven bibliographic databases, E-LIS (Eprints in Library and Information Science repository), and multiple sources of grey literature. Results were screened using Covidence and Google Sheets. We reported our review according to the PRISMA and PRISMA-S guidelines. We determined types of interventions used by academic health sciences libraries in engagement with our included populations, the level of public participation reached by these interventions, what partnerships were established, and what practices emerged.
    Results: Database searching returned 2,020 unique results. Additional searching resulted in 211 further unique results. Full text screening of relevant articles found 65 reports meeting criteria for inclusion. Data extraction was conducted on these programs to identify partners, intervention type, and evaluation method. The programs were categorized using the IAP2 Spectrum of Public Participation.
    Conclusion: Our scoping review found that many programs were health information trainings and did not move beyond informing the public with little further involvement. The need for sustained funding, greater community participation and more publishing on engagement and outreach are discussed.
    Keywords:  Indigenous populations; Scoping review; academic health sciences libraries; community engagement; outreach; public participation
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.5195/jmla.2023.1616
  9. J Med Libr Assoc. 2023 Jul 10. 111(3): 717-721
      Background: In response to several of Texas' largest medical libraries being forced to discard all serial print holdings, the Texas A&M University System and University of Texas System's Joint Library Facility (JLF) staff worked to help provide a solution to save and store these resources. This process fire-started a comprehensive effort by JLF staff to contact the National Library of Medicine (NLM) and devise a blueprint that would be used to help save and preserve all serial medical resources listed in NLM's medical retention program.Case Presentation: In an unprecedented approach, the Texas A&M JLF staff launched efforts to collect and preserve the complete holdings range of all NLM MedPrint periodical runs. This case report details the planning and steps JLF staff took to accomplish this feat; highlights important matters of consideration for the medical community which heavily relies upon continuous access to MedPrint materials; and provides insight on the apparent preservation vulnerabilities these materials increasingly face in an environment where digitization may create a false sense of security.
    Discussion: By May 2021, JLF had collected complete title runs up to year 2000 for 202 of the 254 MedPrint titles, which consists of more than twelve thousand volumes. These efforts proved particularly beneficial in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced NLM to halt ILL processing from their print collection. During this time, JLF was uniquely positioned to meet and respond to the historic high number of medical literature ILL requests it received during this time.
    Keywords:  Medical periodicals; medical retention program; shared collection
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.5195/jmla.2023.1373
  10. J Med Libr Assoc. 2023 Jul 10. 111(3): 740-745
      For over a millennium, libraries and library workers have advanced the knowledge of human science by building, preserving, and sharing collections and research. Historically, libraries have also aligned their institutional responsibilities to adhere to and support the values and virtues of oppressive and colonial practices. Library history has shown the mistreatments and denials of information access of marginalized groups. The history of libraries in the health and medical sciences reveals how these institutions and their workers have preserved and circulated research studies perpetuating racial science. This commentary highlights how such institutions shape and contribute to racial science in the field of medicine. By exploring the history of medicine through this lens, we examine how such institutions have been complicit in upholding racial science. We explore historical documents and archival collections that have been collected and preserved, particularly records and data of vulnerable groups, to advance the knowledge and understanding of the human body through the ideology of racial science. We argue that health and medical sciences librarians need to critically interrogate the racism in medical libraries and its history and address how health misinformation is common even in scholarly publications.
    Keywords:  Library history; medical collections; medical libraries; racial science; racism
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.5195/jmla.2023.1728
  11. J Med Libr Assoc. 2023 Jul 10. 111(3): 710-716
      Background: Health sciences libraries in medical schools, academic health centers, health care networks, and hospitals have established institutional repositories (IRs) to showcase their research achievements, increase visibility, expand the reach of institutional scholarship, and disseminate unique content. Newer roles for IRs include publishing open access journals, tracking researcher productivity, and serving as repositories for data sharing. Many repository managers oversee their IR with limited assistance from others at their institution. Therefore, IR practitioners find it valuable to network and learn from colleagues at other institutions.Case Presentation: This case report describes the genesis and implementation of a new initiative specifically designed for a health sciences audience: the Medical Institutional Repositories in Libraries (MIRL) Symposium. Six medical librarians from hospitals and academic institutions in the U.S. organized the inaugural symposium held virtually in November 2021. The goal was to fill a perceived gap in conference programming for IR practitioners in health settings. Themes of the 2021 and subsequent 2022 symposium included IR management, increasing readership and engagement, and platform migration. Post-symposium surveys were completed by 73/238 attendees (31%) in 2021 and by 62/180 (34%) in 2022. Feedback was overwhelmingly positive.
    Discussion: Participant responses in post-symposium surveys rated MIRL highly. The MIRL planning group intends to continue the symposium and hopes MIRL will steadily evolve, build community among IR practitioners in the health sciences, and expand the conversation around best practices for digital archiving of institutional content. The implementation design of MIRL serves as a blueprint for collaboratively bringing together a professional community of practice.
    Keywords:  Collaboration; Community of Practice; Health Sciences Libraries; Institutional Repository; Medical Institutional Repositories in Libraries Symposium; Scholarly Communication
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.5195/jmla.2023.1503
  12. J Med Libr Assoc. 2023 Jul 10. 111(3): 734-739
      Trusted patient education materials are the backbone of an effective consumer health library. However, members of the LGBTQ+ community may not see themselves or their families reflected in many resources due to the gendered and non-inclusive language they are written in. This article outlines some suggestions for concrete actions that patient librarians can take to ensure that their materials are not excluding LGBTQ+ patients.
    Keywords:  LGBTQ+; consumer health information services; patient education
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.5195/jmla.2023.1723
  13. Bioinform Adv. 2023 ;3(1): vbad095
      Motivation: Figures in biomedical papers communicate essential information with the potential to identify relevant documents in biomedical and clinical settings. However, academic search interfaces mainly search over text fields.Results: We describe a search system for biomedical documents that leverages image modalities and an existing index server. We integrate a problem-specific taxonomy of image modalities and image-based data into a custom search system. Our solution features a front-end interface to enhance classical document search results with image-related data, including page thumbnails, figures, captions and image-modality information. We demonstrate the system on a subset of the CORD-19 document collection. A quantitative evaluation demonstrates higher precision and recall for biomedical document retrieval. A qualitative evaluation with domain experts further highlights our solution's benefits to biomedical search.
    Availability and implementation: A demonstration is available at https://runachay.evl.uic.edu/scholar. Our code and image models can be accessed via github.com/uic-evl/bio-search. The dataset is continuously expanded.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1093/bioadv/vbad095
  14. Digit Health. 2023 Jan-Dec;9:9 20552076231187249
      Setting: The internet is an important source of health information but is unregulated. Little research has focused on the assessment of digital information related to nutrition.Aim: To develop and validate a novel online quality assessment tool (OQAT) for quality assessment of online nutrition information.
    Method: The OQAT was developed and validated in six distinct stages. After reviewing the literature, a framework and criteria were developed and formalised. Next, the quality assessment criteria were piloted on a subset of data and criteria refined. The established criteria were then validated against a previously validated assessment tool, and reliability was tested. Finally, the validated OQAT was used to assess the quality of articles from a 24-h collection period, 19 April 2021.
    Results: The final OQAT consisted of 10 key questions. Twenty-six news articles were assessed independently by two raters. Comparison of scores found moderate internal consistency (α = 0.382). Cohen's Kappa coefficient demonstrated high interrater agreement (k = 0.653, p < 0.001). The OQAT was tested on 291 relevant Uniform Resource Locators (URLs), which were determined to be either poor 3% (n = 9), satisfactory 49% (n = 144), or high-quality 48% (n = 139) articles. There was a statistically significant difference in OQAT scores between blogs, news articles, and press releases, χ2(2) = 23.22, p < 0.001, with a mean rank OQAT score of 138.2 for blogs, 216.6 for news articles, and 188.7 for press releases.
    Conclusion: This novel tool provides a reliable and objective method for assessing the quality of nutrition content online. It could potentially be used by researchers to assess the quality of online information in different settings and by organisations to inform readers of the quality of information being accessed.
    Keywords:  Nutrition; digital health; online information; quality assessment; quality assessment tool; validation
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1177/20552076231187249
  15. J Med Internet Res. 2023 07 25. 25 e48966
      BACKGROUND: People living with dementia or other cognitive decline and their caregivers (PLWD) increasingly rely on the web to find information about their condition and available resources and services. The recent advancements in large language models (LLMs), such as ChatGPT, provide a new alternative to the more traditional web search engines, such as Google.OBJECTIVE: This study compared the quality of the results of ChatGPT and Google for a collection of PLWD-related queries.
    METHODS: A set of 30 informational and 30 service delivery (transactional) PLWD-related queries were selected and submitted to both Google and ChatGPT. Three domain experts assessed the results for their currency of information, reliability of the source, objectivity, relevance to the query, and similarity of their response. The readability of the results was also analyzed. Interrater reliability coefficients were calculated for all outcomes.
    RESULTS: Google had superior currency and higher reliability. ChatGPT results were evaluated as more objective. ChatGPT had a significantly higher response relevance, while Google often drew upon sources that were referral services for dementia care or service providers themselves. The readability was low for both platforms, especially for ChatGPT (mean grade level 12.17, SD 1.94) compared to Google (mean grade level 9.86, SD 3.47). The similarity between the content of ChatGPT and Google responses was rated as high for 13 (21.7%) responses, medium for 16 (26.7%) responses, and low for 31 (51.6%) responses.
    CONCLUSIONS: Both Google and ChatGPT have strengths and weaknesses. ChatGPT rarely includes the source of a result. Google more often provides a date for and a known reliable source of the response compared to ChatGPT, whereas ChatGPT supplies more relevant responses to queries. The results of ChatGPT may be out of date and often do not specify a validity time stamp. Google sometimes returns results based on commercial entities. The readability scores for both indicate that responses are often not appropriate for persons with low health literacy skills. In the future, the addition of both the source and the date of health-related information and availability in other languages may increase the value of these platforms for both nonmedical and medical professionals.
    Keywords:  ChatGPT; Google; aging; chatbots; cognition; cognitive; dementia; geriatric; geriatrics; gerontology; information seeking; language model; large language models; queries; query; search; web search
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.2196/48966
  16. J Med Libr Assoc. 2023 Jul 10. 111(3): 677-683
      Objective: This study aimed to measure the association between the efficacy/efficiency of digital information retrieval among community family physicians at the point of care and information and computer literacy.Methods: This study is a part of a cross-sectional anonymous online survey-based study among community family physicians who reported no affiliation with an academic institution in eight Arab countries.
    Results: A total of 72 physicians were included. The mean total score for the information literacy scale was 59.8 out of 91 (SD = 11.4). The mean score was 29.3 (SD = 5.6) out of 55 on the computer literacy scale. A one-way ANOVA revealed a statistically significant association between information literacy and information retrieval efficacy (F (2,69) = 4.466, p = 0.015) and efficiency of information retrieval (F (2.69) = 4.563, p = 0.014). Computer literacy was not associated with information retrieval efficacy or efficiency.
    Conclusion: The information and computer literacy scores of community family physicians in eight Arab countries are average. Information literacy, rather than computer literacy, is positively associated with the efficacy and efficiency of information retrieval at the point of care. There is room for improvement in evidence-based medicine curricula and continuous professional development to improve information literacy for better information retrieval and patient care.
    Keywords:  Evidence-based medicine; computer literacy; digital literacy; family physicians, Arab countries; information literacy
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.5195/jmla.2023.1539
  17. Arch Dermatol Res. 2023 Jul 28.
      Seborrheic dermatitis (SD) is a common, burdensome inflammatory skin disorder. Little is known about the identity and quality of videos patients consume on social media to better understand and manage SD. We evaluated three social media platforms-YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram-for content, quality, and popularity. Search terms "seborrheic dermatitis," "dandruff," "cradle cap," and "flaky scalp" identified videos on each platform. The first 50 videos for each keyword were analyzed. After screening, 147 YouTube, 132 Instagram, and 164 TikTok videos were included. Videos were characterized by upload source (healthcare provider/organization [HCP]/non-HCP), quality (accurate/misleading/non-informative), content (educational/personal xperience/entertainment/advertisement), and number of likes/views. Data were analyzed by chi square (categorical) or Kruskal-Wallis (continuous) tests. YouTube contained a higher proportion of videos vs. TikTok and Instagram that were made by HCPs (42.2/19.7/17.7%, respectively) and contained more accurate (52.4/28.0/32.9%), and educational (66.7/38.6/34.4%) content (p < 0.0001 for all). Non-HCPs were responsible for creating the majority of videos across platforms along with most inaccurate/non-informative (65.9/86.8/78.6%) and non-educational (56.5/75.5/71.1%) content (p < 0.0001 for all). Despite lower quality of content and information, TikTok videos had the highest mean views (2,418,872) and likes (184,395) (p < 0.0001 for all). HCP vs. non-HCP-made videos were viewed more frequently only on YouTube. Though views and likes were common for all inaccurate and entertainment/advertisement content, they were most characteristic of TikTok and Instagram (p < 0.0001). These results show a high volume of SD video consumption across all platforms, especially those with lower quality and less informative content, and significant content difference across platforms. Additional studies are needed to better characterize online SD educational content and optimize HCP-led video creation and patient video consumption.
    Keywords:  Education; Quality; Seborrheic dermatitis; Social media
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1007/s00403-023-02681-8
  18. Cureus. 2023 Jul;15(7): e42214
      Introduction Artificial Intelligence (AI) platforms have gained widespread attention for their distinct ability to generate automated responses to various prompts. However, its role in assessing the quality and readability of a provided text remains unclear. Thus, the purpose of this study is to evaluate the proficiency of the conversational generative pre-trained transformer (ChatGPT) in utilizing the DISCERN tool to evaluate the quality of online content regarding shock wave therapy for erectile dysfunction. Methods Websites were generated using a Google search of "shock wave therapy for erectile dysfunction" with location filters disabled. Readability was analyzed using Readable software (Readable.com, Horsham, United Kingdom). Quality was assessed independently by three reviewers using the DISCERN tool. The same plain text files collected were inputted into ChatGPT to determine whether they produced comparable metrics for readability and quality. Results The study results revealed a notable disparity between ChatGPT's readability assessment and that obtained from a reliable tool, Readable.com (p<0.05). This indicates a lack of alignment between ChatGPT's algorithm and that of established tools, such as Readable.com. Similarly, the DISCERN score generated by ChatGPT differed significantly from the scores generated manually by human evaluators (p<0.05), suggesting that ChatGPT may not be capable of accurately identifying poor-quality information sources regarding shock wave therapy as a treatment for erectile dysfunction. Conclusion ChatGPT's evaluation of the quality and readability of online text regarding shockwave therapy for erectile dysfunction differs from that of human raters and trusted tools. Therefore, ChatGPT's current capabilities were not sufficient for reliably assessing the quality and readability of textual content. Further research is needed to elucidate the role of AI in the objective evaluation of online medical content in other fields. Continued development in AI and incorporation of tools such as DISCERN into AI software may enhance the way patients navigate the web in search of high-quality medical content in the future.
    Keywords:  artificial intelligence in medicine; chatgpt; healthcare ai and robotics; online medical information; readability; shock wave therapy
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.42214
  19. Phlebology. 2023 Jul 27. 2683555231179536
      OBJECTIVE: This study seeks to evaluate the quality and readability of freely available online patient information resources for deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE).METHODS: Internet searches were performed for five DVT and PE search terms in July 2020 across three search engines and two metasearch engines. Qualitative content analysis was performed. Readability was assessed using four validated instruments.
    RESULTS: Two hundred fifty websites were identified of which 62 websites met inclusion criteria.Website structure and content were satisfactory (>50% overall score), accountability was mixed between DVT (47%) and PE (56%) sites, while interactivity was poor (<30%). On qualitative content analysis, anticoagulation (95.2%) was the most discussed treatment while the most discussed procedures were IVC filter placement for DVT and thrombolysis for PE. Overall readability was difficult with median level suitable for ages 14-18 years.
    CONCLUSION: Freely available online DVT and PE patient information resources publish appropriate content but have very variable accountability and poor readability for the average patient.
    Keywords:  deep venous thrombosis; internet web resources; patient information; pulmonary embolism
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1177/02683555231179536
  20. J Cancer Educ. 2023 Jul 26.
      Patients often search on the Internet information about different medical conditions and procedures. This study aimed to evaluate online health information on colonoscopy, focusing on quantity and comprehensibility of internet resources dedicated to the colonoscopy. This information could be used by European Union (EU) colorectal cancer (CRC) screening providers to address patient's unfilled educational needs, fear of colonoscopy, and other barriers that deter from CRC screening. The term "colonoscopy" translated into 22 official EU languages was searched using the Google search engine. For each translation, generated list of websites was assessed with Google Translate. The first 50 websites in each language were assessed for suitability. Records in other languages were excluded. Included websites were free, focused on patient education, and did not have password. Readability assessments were performed with Lix score. A total of 588 websites in Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish, and Swedish were evaluated. The overall mean Lix score was 56 ± 8 and was classified as very hard to comprehend. There were significant differences in mean Lix scores across the included languages (P<.001). There was not significant correlation (R2 = 0.1, P = 0.142) between Lix score and number of search hits. Although there was a wealth of online patient information on colonoscopy, the comprehensibility of the available information is low. Physician guidance to reliable resources could increase patient's willingness to undergo a screening colonoscopy.
    Keywords:  Colonoscopy; Colorectal prophylaxis; Health information; Internet content
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1007/s13187-023-02344-2
  21. Ann R Coll Surg Engl. 2023 Jul 25.
      BACKGROUND: Hip and knee arthritis are two of the most common conditions that result in referral to orthopaedic outpatient clinics. Many patients now use the internet to research their condition and to inform their decision about treatment options. This has implications for the process of informed consent.AIM: To assess the quality of patient information on the internet regarding hip and knee arthritis.
    METHODS: 'Hip arthritis' and 'Knee arthritis' were entered as search terms into a popular search engine. To adjust for temporal variation, the process was repeated one month and one year later. Of the 200 results analysed, 83 websites met the inclusion criteria. The quality of patient information presented on these websites was assessed using a validated scoring instrument by two independent observers.
    RESULTS: Most websites assessed were of poor quality; nearly half of all websites did not mention any risks or complications associated with surgical intervention for these conditions.
    CONCLUSIONS: As part of their professional obligation to provide a robust process of informed consent, clinicians should be aware of the variable quality of patient information available on the internet. As such, they should be prepared to advise their patients about quality websites where reliable information can be sought.
    Keywords:  Hip arthritis; Internet information; Knee arthritis; On-line information; Patient information
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1308/rcsann.2023.0007
  22. J Surg Res. 2023 Jul 26. pii: S0022-4804(23)00264-0. [Epub ahead of print]291 296-302
      INTRODUCTION: Online patient education materials (PEMs) often exceed the recommended 6th grade reading level. This can negatively affect transmasculine patients' understanding of treatment plans, increasing barriers to care and worsening health outcomes and patient satisfaction. This study assessed the readability of online English and Spanish PEMs regarding phalloplasty and urethroplasty.METHODS: The English and Spanish terms for phalloplasty and urethroplasty were queried on Google. The first fifty results were grouped into institutional (government, medical school, teaching hospital), noninstitutional (private practice, news channel, blog, etc.), and academic (journal articles, book chapters) categories. Readability scores were generated using the Simple Measure of Gobbledygook and Spanish Simple Measure of Gobbledygook scales.
    RESULTS: All PEMs exceeded recommended reading levels. For both procedures, English PEMs had an average reading level approximately of a university sophomore and Spanish PEMs had an average reading level approximately of a high school junior. For both procedures, English PEMs were harder to read than Spanish PEMs overall (P < 0.001) and when compared across the three categories between the two languages (P < 0.001). For Spanish urethroplasty PEMs, noninstitutional PEMs were more difficult to read than institutional PEMs (P < 0.05).
    CONCLUSIONS: Online information for phalloplasty and urethroplasty should be revised and/or standardized materials should be created by trans-affirming health-care providers and national organizations in order to more fully educate the public and prospective patients prior to intervention. A well-informed patient population will improve patient decision-making and surgeon-patient communication, ultimately leading to better health outcomes.
    Keywords:  Gender affirming surgery; Health disparities; Health literacy; Neophallus reconstruction; Patient education; Readability; Transmasculine
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jss.2023.06.012
  23. Am J Infect Control. 2023 Jul 22. pii: S0196-6553(23)00521-7. [Epub ahead of print]
      Online information influences healthcare decisions and may contribute to vaccine hesitancy among pregnant individuals. We assessed quality (reliability and comprehensiveness) of YouTube videos about COVID-19 vaccination in pregnancy. We systematically identified videos and recorded video information and quality. 137 videos were reviewed. Comments, likes, dislikes, duration, reliability, and content scores differed between sources. Videos were low quality overall, but medical tended to be higher quality. Quality was positively correlated with duration, but not views.
    Keywords:  COVID in pregnancy; COVID misinformation; COVID vaccination; vaccination in pregnancy; vaccine education; vaccine safety
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajic.2023.07.004
  24. J Cutan Med Surg. 2023 Jul 25. 12034754231188560
      
    Keywords:  copper peptides; evidence-based content; social media
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1177/12034754231188560
  25. Prostate Cancer Prostatic Dis. 2023 Jul 25.
      Podcasts represent a new source of information for patients and families dealing with prostate cancer, but no studies have been conducted evaluating the quality of information in them. Evaluating for: (1) quality based on the validated DISCERN criteria, (2) understandability and actionability based on the Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool (PEMAT), (3) misinformation, and (4) commercial bias, we concluded that podcasts are currently not good sources of information for lay health consumers.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1038/s41391-023-00694-y
  26. Eur Arch Paediatr Dent. 2023 Jul 28.
      PURPOSE: To evaluate the reliability of YouTube™ videos on zirconia crowns in pediatric dentistry.METHODS: On January 4, 2022, a search was performed using the term "pediatric zirconia crown". The first 100 videos on the subject were included. Non-English videos, duplicates, and off-topic videos were excluded. For each video, an examiner recorded the number of views, likes, comments, channel followers, upload date, duration, and category rating. Two examiners assessed the reliability of the information presented in the videos using DISCERN, a brief questionnaire and scale score used to assess in a valid and reliable way the quality of information on treatment choices for health problems. Descriptive and inferential analyses were performed (p < 0.05).
    RESULTS: Of the initial 100 videos, 72 were excluded because of language, duplication, and subject matter. The 28 remaining videos had an average of 3.5 comments, 8,896.18 channel followers, 5,614.00 views, 19.14 likes, and a duration of 840.32 s. The average view rate was 7.54 per day ± 10,206.81. There was a statistically significant difference between the number of views and comments (p < 0.001), likes and comments (p < 0.001), and likes and views (p = 0.006). According to the DISCERN, none of the videos received the maximum grade to be considered very good. Two were considered good, nine fair, fourteen poor, and three very poor.
    CONCLUSION: Given that the majority of YouTube™ videos currently available on zirconia crowns in pediatric dentistry were deemed unreliable according to the DISCERN questionnaire, caution should be exercised when using the information presented.
    Keywords:  DISCERN; Pediatric dentistry; YouTube™; Zirconia crown
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1007/s40368-023-00822-1
  27. J Otol. 2023 Jul;18(3): 152-159
      Background/purpose: With increasing accessibility to the Internet, patients frequently use the Internet for hearing healthcare information. No study has examined the information about hearing loss available in the Mandarin language on online video-sharing platforms. The study's primary purpose is to investigate the content, source, understandability, and actionability of hearing loss information in the Mandarin language's one hundred most popular online videos.Method: In this project, publicly accessible online videos were analyzed. One hundred of the most popular Mandarin-language videos about hearing loss were identified (51 videos on YouTube and 49 on the Bilibili video-sharing platform). They were manually coded for different popularity metrics, sources, and content. Each video was also rated using the Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool for Audiovisual Materials (PEMAT-AV) to measure the understandability and actionability scores.
    Results: The video sources were classified as either media (n = 36), professional (n = 39), or consumer (n = 25). The videos covered various topics, including symptoms, consequences, and treatment of hearing loss. Overall, videos attained adequate understandability scores (mean = 73.6%) but low (mean = 43.4%) actionability scores.
    Conclusions: While existing online content related to hearing loss is quite diverse and largely understandable, those videos provide limited actionable information. Hearing healthcare professionals, media, and content creators can help patients better understand their conditions and make educated hearing healthcare decisions by focusing on the actionability information in their online videos.
    Keywords:  BiliBili; Hearing loss; Internet health information; Social media; YouTube
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joto.2023.05.007
  28. Healthcare (Basel). 2023 Jul 23. pii: 2094. [Epub ahead of print]11(14):
      Considering the need to improve patient knowledge, awareness, and compliance for peri-implantitis prevention, and patients' demand for better, quick, and convenient access to medical information, the present study primarily assessed the reliability and accuracy of YouTube videos on peri-implantitis and secondarily evaluated their educational value for the patients, and the related suitability, as part of population-based preventive strategies, to deliver valid information, potentially capable of improving patient knowledge and educational skills. This study's protocol was developed in advance, and computer history and cookies were cleared to avoid limitations based on preferred user histories. The search term "peri-implantitis" was defined using the Google Trends website, and videos were searched on YouTube on 5 December 2022. Video inclusion and data collection were conducted by independent pre-calibrated investigators. Descriptive statistics were performed on the videos' characteristics, source, category, target audience, popularity, source reliability, video information and quality (VIQI), content, and educational value. Pearson's correlation between educational value and all parameters was calculated. Videos with very low/low and medium/good/excellent educational value were compared using the Mann-Whitney U test. A total of 44 videos with medium values for popularity, VIQI, content, and educational value were analyzed. Most videos covered peri-implantitis treatment rather than etiology and prevention, about half were uploaded by dentists/specialists, and only 10% specifically targeted patients. Only 2% of YouTube videos about peri-implantitis had excellent educational value, and 5% had good educational value. Video educational value was correlated with VIQI and content beyond video length and source reliability. When comparing the very low/low and medium/good/excellent educational value YouTube videos on peri-implantitis, a significant difference was found in the Video Information and Quality Index, VIQI, and video content.
    Keywords:  YouTube; content; education; educational; peri-implant disease; peri-implantitis; prevention; preventive; video
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11142094
  29. J Am Podiatr Med Assoc. 2023 Jul 26. 1-25
      BACKGROUND: Online health-related information has become increasingly popular. Social media platforms have great potential to support and change patients' perspective. Plantar fasciitis (PF) is a common disease which is one of the most frequently researched subjects in foot problems. This study aimed to assess the content, quality and reliability of YouTube videos related to PF and to evaluate if they reflect current PF treatment guidelines.METHODS: The descriptive cross - sectional study analyzed the most viewed 79 YouTube videos retrieved by using the keyword "plantar fasciitis". The quality, reliability and content of the videos were analyzed using Global Quality Scale (GQS), the modified DISCERN, JAMA and content scoring system by two independent physiotherapist. The analyzed videos were divided into three groups according to their GQS score as high, intermediate and low quality. Also, video parameters were compared between the useful and misleading groups.
    RESULTS: Of the analyzed 79 videos, 26 (32.9%) were of low quality, 29 (36.7%) were of intermediate quality and 24 were of (30.3%) high quality. Most of high quality videos were uploaded by allied health professionals (39.4%). View ratio and video power index scores were highest in patients. There were significant differences between useful and misleading videos in terms of DISCERN, GQS and JAMA scores (p =0.000, p=0.000, p=0.020, respectively). Almost all of the evaluated videos contain at least one treatment approach.
    CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that the vast of majority YouTube videos on PF are useful and comprehensive, also our results may propose that the vast majority of the videos reflect current treatment guidelines. Video-based information about PF may provide valuable insight to patients, especially in the absence of a direct access to healthcare stakeholders.
    Keywords:  Evidence-based recommendation; Plantar fasciitis; Reliability; YouTube
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.7547/22-105
  30. Postep Psychiatr Neurol. 2023 Jun;32(2): 76-82
      Purpose: Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is characterized by a preoccupation with a non-existing or minimal defect in appearance. It affects around 2% of the population, causes distress in daily functioning and reduces the quality of life. The aim of this study was to evaluate the usefulness and the quality of the most viewed videos regarding BDD on YouTube.Methods: YouTube was searched for the keywords "body dysmorphia" and "dysmorphophobia". The validated DISCERN instrument and the Global Quality Score (GQS) were used to assess video quality. The Video Power Index (VPI) score was used to evaluate the popularity of videos.
    Results: Only 3 videos were rated as good quality based on the DISCERN criteria. The mean DISCERN score between the raters was 32.89 ± 9.23, while the mean GCQ score was 2.84 ± 1.03. Even though only 23.7% of the videos were uploaded by a healthcare source, there was a significant difference between DISCERN scores depending on the source of the video: healthcare - 42 mean vs. non-healthcare - 30.07 mean (p = 0.0035). The mean score for the VPI was 2757 (range, 244.57-11,647.12).
    Conclusions: Our study showed that the quality of BDD-related videos on YouTube is poor. Physicians or healthcare organizations should publish more medical content on YouTube, increasing the amount of more reliable and better-quality content for patients.
    Keywords:  YouTube; body dysmorphic disorder; internet; social media
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.5114/ppn.2023.128706
  31. Oral Dis. 2023 Jul 23.
      OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess the quality of free-to-access videos on oral biopsy procedures on the YouTube platform.MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a search on YouTube using the term "oral biopsy" and selected the first 100 videos in order of relevance. The following exclusion criteria were applied: language other than English, videos that did not cover oral biopsy techniques, videos on nonhuman specimens, postoperative instructions, personal experiences, exfoliative cytology, or "brush biopsy." Forty-seven selected videos were classified based on their duration, country of origin, date of upload to the system, author, information source and number of views, and likes and dislikes. Video quality was analyzed using DISCERN, the Global Quality Scale (GQS), and the Video Information and Quality Index (VIQI).
    RESULTS: The majority (78.7%) of analyzed videos were uploaded by dentists, originating from India (48.9%), with a mean duration of 11.8 min (SD, 20.4), with 104.5 likes (SD, 186.4) and 7.1 dislikes (SD, 10.55). The mean values for DISCERN, GQS, and VIQI were 1.3 (SD, 0.52), 2.1 (SD, 1.04), and 9.62 (SD, 1.69), respectively.
    CONCLUSION: The majority of videos on oral biopsy published on YouTube are of low quality.
    Keywords:  YouTube; dental education; oral biopsy
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1111/odi.14690
  32. PeerJ. 2023 ;11 e15412
      Background: YouTube plays an influential role in disseminating health-related information in the digital age. This study aimed to evaluate YouTube videos on transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) in terms of their information value and quality.Methods: In this descriptive study, we ranked the first 100 videos that met the inclusion criteria using the search term "transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation" on October 30, 2022. These videos were classified according to the number of views, likes, dislikes, comments, duration, popularity and content categories. Reliability, quality, and accuracy of the videos were assessed using the Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA) Benchmark Criteria and Modified DISCERN Questionnaire and Global Quality Score (GQS). Video popularity were calculated by the Video Power Index (VPI).
    Results: Based on the GQS results, we found that 59, 27, and 14 videos had low, intermediate, and high quality, respectively. In addition, based on the JAMA results, 79 and 21 videos had poor and high reliability, respectively. No statistically significant difference was found between the JAMA, modified DISCERN and GQS scores in terms of the sources of videos (p = 0.226, p = 0.115, p = 0.812). Notably, there was a weak positive correlation between the JAMA scores and the number of views (r = 0.204, p = 0.041).
    Conclusion: According to our study results, most YouTube videos on TENS were of low quality and reliability. Additionally, most videos were uploaded from sources created by doctors; the most frequently found content was about the TENS procedure, and content on complications of the procedure became less frequent as the videos became more recent. In particular, it was found that videos uploaded by academics have longer duration. It has been found that reliable videos with high JAMA scores also have high number of views. Accordingly, it can be concluded that videos with higher quality and more reliability that are created by healthcare providers will be more useful for patients seeking information about TENS.
    Keywords:  E-learning; Internet; Pain; Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation; YouTube
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.15412
  33. Heliyon. 2023 Jul;9(7): e17936
      Available evidence suggests that managing the complexities of health information and the behaviours associated with information search call for adequate digital health literacy (DHL). Students' ability to judge the relevance of health-related information largely affects their level of satisfaction with the information. The study assessed DHL, information searching behaviours, and the link between DHL and COVID-19 information. The cross-sectional study utilised the multi-stage sampling technique in the selection of 1392 secondary school students in the Northern Region of Ghana. A DHL questionnaire was used to survey the students. The students displayed inadequate level of DHL concerning the relevance of online information. Predictably, most of them had not searched for information in the past four weeks prior to the data collection. Search engine portals, websites of public bodies, and news portals were the predominant platforms used for information search. Majority of the participants reported not being satisfied with the information they found on the internet about coronavirus. A significant association between DHL levels and utilization of COVID-19 information platforms was identified, such that students who showed high levels of DHL used platforms which had reviewed/professional content compared to those with low levels of DHL. Advanced DHL may serve as a disincentive to the consumption of information from sources which are not credible. There is an urgent call for collaboration among the ministries/agencies responsible for education and health, telecommunication networks, and civil society organisations for interventions aimed at integrating DHL in schools..
    Keywords:  COVID-19 information; Digital health literacy; Health information platforms; Infodemic; Satisfaction; Students
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e17936