bims-librar Biomed News
on Biomedical librarianship
Issue of 2020–08–16
ten papers selected by
Thomas Krichel, Open Library Society
  1. Abbreviated and comprehensive literature searches led to identical or very similar effect estimates: meta-epidemiological study.
  2. Developing an Online Consumer Health Course for Public Library Staff.
  3. Finding useful cancer information may reduce cancer information overload for Internet users.
  4. Where are biomedical research plain-language summaries?
  5. Evaluation of YouTube Video Content About Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip.
  6. Can YouTube English videos be recommended as an accurate source for learning about testicular self-examination?
  7. Comparing quality and readability of online English language information to patient use and perspectives for common rheumatologic conditions.
  8. Public knowledge of low vision and blindness, and readability of on-topic online information.
  9. Core competencies for clinical informaticians: A systematic review.
  10. Correction: Undergraduate Medical Students' Search for Health Information Online: Explanatory Cross-Sectional Study.
  1. J Clin Epidemiol. 2020 Aug 08. pii: S0895-4356(20)30523-0. [Epub ahead of print]
    Abbreviated and comprehensive literature searches led to identical or very similar effect estimates: meta-epidemiological study.
    Hannah Ewald, Irma Klerings, Gernot Wagner, Thomas L Heise, Andreea Iulia Dobrescu, Susan Armijo-Olivo, Jan M Stratil, Stefan K Lhachimi, Tarquin Mittermayr, Gerald Gartlehner, Barbara Nussbaumer-Streit, Lars G Hemkens.
       OBJECTIVE: Assessing the agreement of treatment effect estimates from meta-analyses based on abbreviated or comprehensive literature searches.
    STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: Meta-epidemiological study. We abbreviated 47 comprehensive Cochrane review searches and searched MEDLINE/Embase/CENTRAL alone, in combination, with/without checking references (658 new searches). We compared one meta-analysis from each review with recalculated ones based on abbreviated searches.
    RESULTS: The 47 original meta-analyses included 444 trials (median 6 per review [IQR 3-11]) with 360045 participants (median 1371 per review [IQR 685-8041]). Depending on the search approach, abbreviated searches led to identical effect estimates in 34%-79% of meta-analyses, to different effect estimates with the same direction and level of statistical significance in 15%-51%, and to opposite effects (or effects could not be estimated anymore) in 6%-13%. The deviation of effect sizes was zero in 50% of the meta-analyses and in 75% not larger than 1.07-fold. Effect estimates of abbreviated searches were not consistently smaller or larger (median ratio of odds ratio 1 [IQR 1-1.01]) but more imprecise (1.02-1.06-fold larger standard errors).
    CONCLUSION: Abbreviated literature searches often led to identical or very similar effect estimates as comprehensive searches with slightly increased confidence intervals. Relevant deviations may occur.
    Keywords:  Systematic review; bibliographic database; meta-epidemiological study; precision; rapid review; search strategy
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclinepi.2020.08.002
  2. J Consum Health Internet. 2019 ;23(3): 249-260
    Developing an Online Consumer Health Course for Public Library Staff.
    Elizabeth Kiscaden, Bobbi Newman, Margot Malachowski, Carolyn Martin.
      The National Network of Libraries of Medicine, Greater Midwest Region (NNLM GMR) received funding to support the evaluation and development of an asynchronous consumer health information course. Requirements of this project included: incorporating recommendations from NNLM instructors, National Library of Medicine staff and public library staff; piloting the revised course with a nationwide cohort; incorporating feedback from the pilot; and delivering a second instance of the revised course. The revised course meets existing requirements for public library certification and for Level 1 certification of the Medical Library Association's Consumer Health Information Specialization.
    Keywords:  Public libraries; asynchronous; consumer health
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1080/15398285.2019.1646585
  3. Health Info Libr J. 2020 Aug 08.
    Finding useful cancer information may reduce cancer information overload for Internet users.
    Pınar Serçekuş, Hatice Gencer, Sevgi Özkan.
       BACKGROUND: An excessive overload of information causes an ineffective management of information, stress and indefiniteness. Furthermore, this situation can prevent persons from learning and making conscious decisions.
    OBJECTIVE: This study aims to determine the cancer information overload (CIO) and the factors related to it in adults who are Internet users.
    METHODS: A cross-sectional study with 482 Internet users was conducted. The data were collected by using an Introductory Information Form and the Cancer Information Overload Scale.
    RESULTS: It was found that the Internet was the most used information source (62.2%). The CIO of those with a university level education was found to be high (P = 0.012). It was found that the CIO of individuals who used the Internet (P = 0.031) and newspapers/magazines (P = 0.004) as sources of information was high compared with those who did not use these sources. It was determined from the information obtained that those who found the information to be beneficial and enough had a low CIO (P = 0.004, P = 0.00).
    CONCLUSION: Health literacy around cancer information is challenging for frequent Internet users. Health professionals, information specialists and librarians should orient people to reliable sources.
    Keywords:  Internet; health literacy; information need; information sources; information-seeking behaviour
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1111/hir.12325
  4. Health Sci Rep. 2020 Sep;3(3): e175
    Where are biomedical research plain-language summaries?
    Hannah FitzGibbon, Karen King, Claudia Piano, Carol Wilk, Mary Gaskarth.
       Background and Aims: Plain-language summaries (PLS) are being heralded as a tool to improve communication of scientific research to lay audiences and time-poor or nonspecialist healthcare professionals. However, this relies on PLS being intuitively located and accessible. This research investigated the "discoverability" of PLS in biomedical journals.
    Methods: The eLIFE list of journals/organizations that produce PLS was consulted on July 12, 2018, for biomedical journals (based on title). Internet research, primarily focusing on information provided by the journal websites, explored PLS terminology (what do the journals call PLS), requirements (what articles are PLS generated for, who writes/reviews them, and at what stage), and location and sharing mechanisms (where/how the PLS are made available, are they free to access, and are they visible on PubMed).
    Results: The methodology identified 10 journals from distinct publishers, plus eLIFE itself (N = 11). Impact factors ranged from 3.768 to 17.581. Nine different terms were used to describe PLS. Most of the journals (8/11) required PLS for at least all research articles. Authors were responsible for writing PLS in 9/11 cases. Seven journals required PLS on article submission; of the other four, one required PLS at revision and three on acceptance. The location/sharing mechanism for PLS varied: within articles, alongside articles (separate tab/link), and/or on separate platforms (eg, social media, dedicated website). PLS were freely available when they were published with articles; however, PLS were only included within conventional abstracts on PubMed for 2/11 journals.
    Conclusion: Across the few biomedical journals producing PLS, our research suggests there is wide variation in terminology, location, sharing mechanisms, and PubMed visibility. We advocate a more consistent approach to ensure that PLS have appropriate prominence and can be easily found by their intended audiences.
    Keywords:  biomedical research; communication; lay summaries; patient summaries; plain English summaries; plain‐language summaries
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1002/hsr2.175
  5. Cureus. 2020 Aug 04. 12(8): e9557
    Evaluation of YouTube Video Content About Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip.
    Ahmet Oztermeli, Nazim Karahan.
      Objective The purpose of this study is to investigate the quality and reliability of YouTube videos regarding developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH). Background YouTube is one of the most popular websites used as a source of information, but the variety in authorship and lack of a peer-review process are problems. Methods The search string "developmental dysplasia of the hip" was inputted to the YouTube search engine, and the first 52 videos returned as a response were assessed. The Video Power Index (VPI) (like ratio*view ratio/100) was used to assess the popularity of the videos. Global Quality Score (GQS) and DDH scores (DDHS) were used to evaluate the quality and educational quality of the videos, and the Journal of the American Medical Association Score (JAMAS) was used to evaluate the accuracy of the source of information. Results According to our research, the mean duration time of the videos was 526 seconds (SD: 813), and the average view count of the videos was 34,644. The mean time since upload was 1,907 days (SD: 1,137). On average, the videos received 10.9 comments, 210.3 likes, and 6.8 dislikes. The mean like ratio and VPI were 92.9 (SD: 19.57) and 25.8 (SD: 53.43), respectively. The mean JAMAS, GQS, and DDHS of all videos evaluated were 1.37 (SD: 0.7), 2.46 (SD: 1.09), and 4.63 (SD: 5.00), respectively. The DDHS and GQS were positively correlated (p: 0.001; r: 65.8%). The GQS and the DDHS were higher in the academic group than in the commercial group (p: 0.01 and p: 0.037, respectively). Conclusions The videos regarding DDH on YouTube generally had poor quality. As a result, to maintain an optimal parent-physician or patient-physician relationship, we suggest that international health societies make their own educational videos for parents, patients, and fellow physicians. Level of evidence Level 3.
    Keywords:  developmental dysplasia of the hip; hip; information; internet; parent education; quality; video; youtube
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.9557
  6. Urology. 2020 Aug 10. pii: S0090-4295(20)30970-5. [Epub ahead of print]
    Can YouTube English videos be recommended as an accurate source for learning about testicular self-examination?
    Ismail Selvi, Numan Baydilli, Emre Can Akinsal.
       OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the content, reliability and quality of the most viewed YouTube videos related to testicular self-examination (TSE).
    METHODS: The terms "testicular self-examination", "testis examination" and "testis exam" were used to search YouTube videos.Of 300 videos, a total of 123 videos were included.They were divided into two groups according to accuracy: useful information (Group 1, n=78, 63.4%) and misleading information (Group 2, n=45, 36.6%).A 5-point modified DISCERN tool was used to assess the reliability,a 5-point Global Quality Score (GQS) was used to evaluate the quality,and a 7-point scale was used to assess the comprehensiveness of the videos.
    RESULTS: DISCERN score (median 3, IQR:3-4 vs. median 1, IQR:0-2, p<0.001), GQS (median 4, IQR:4-5 vs. median 1, IQR:1-2, p<0.001) and comprehensiveness score (median 6, IQR:5-6 vs. median 1, IQR:0-2, p<0.001) were higher in Group 1.This group also had higher numbers in terms of total views, views per day and likes.It was seen that universities/professional organizations/non-profit physician/physician groups (23.1%),stand-alone health information websites (21.8%) and testicular cancer survivors (28.2%) uploaded most of the videos in Group 1,whereas the majority in Group 2 were individual users (68.9%).
    CONCLUSION: We observed that YouTube videos are of high quality,reliability and rich content in terms of all of the steps related to how TSE should be done. However, since the YouTube search algorithm is not actually sufficient enough, it is not easy and practical for a lay man to find a suitable video by searching for "keyword" in the YouTube list.
    Keywords:  Internet; YouTube videos; patient education; testicular self-examination; testis cancer
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.urology.2020.06.082
  7. Rheumatol Int. 2020 Aug 08.
    Comparing quality and readability of online English language information to patient use and perspectives for common rheumatologic conditions.
    Ryan D Willen, Olivia Pipitone, Syna Daudfar, Jonathan D Jones.
      Evaluate quality and readability of online information for common rheumatologic diseases. Compare rheumatology patients' internet use and preferences to an objective evaluation of internet quality and readability. Five common rheumatologic diseases were searched on the web browser Google using English language. The first twenty websites from each of the five searches were evaluated for internet quality (e.g. content that is current, balanced, has specific aims, and is appropriately cited) using the DISCERN criteria and readability using the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL). The results were contrasted with a survey sent to patients with rheumatic disease. The survey measured patient likeliness to use and trust identified websites. Internet quality was similar (good) for all five diseases searched while readability was poor. There was an inverse relationship between internet quality and readability. Internet quality significantly differed across website sponsor, and readability significantly differed across disease and website sponsor. Common medical website sponsors with the highest combined quality and readability scores were Mayo Clinic and Web MD. Eight hundred and fifty-eight patients were sent a survey, of which 147 (17%) completed. Patients indicated they were most likely to use and trust a Mayo Clinic-sponsored website when compared to other common sponsored websites from our evaluation, followed by the American College of Rheumatology. Although we found good-quality information, all websites evaluated had readability levels above the recommended sixth-grade reading level. The website sponsor with the highest combined readability and quality score was also the most used and trusted by patients. Patients would like more information about credible and trusted websites from their medical providers.
    Keywords:  Consumer health information; Internet; Rheumatic diseases; Rheumatology
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1007/s00296-020-04664-8
  8. J Optom. 2020 Aug 06. pii: S1888-4296(20)30073-X. [Epub ahead of print]
    Public knowledge of low vision and blindness, and readability of on-topic online information.
    Marta Lupón, Genís Cardona, Manuel Armayones.
       PURPOSE: To explore the laymen knowledge of low vision and blindness concepts, and to assess the readability of some on-topic information available online.
    METHODS: A cross-sectional study was performed in March 2019. Knowledge was evaluated by means of an ad hoc questionnaire-survey with two dichotomous questions about concepts related to low vision and blindness, followed with a list of 10 true-or-false statements. Readability of two on-topic online texts of different complexity was evaluated asking participants to rate the difficulty they experienced on a Likert scale and, objectively, by means of the freeware INFLESZ Readability Scale for Spanish language. Data analysis included descriptive statistics, t-tests, and ANOVA test (statistical significance: p < 0.05).
    RESULTS: Fifty-two percent of 103 participants declared never having heard of low vision. Ninety-four percent participants were aware about the word blindness, although most of them misinterpreted it. Neither academic level nor age influenced knowledge (p > 0,05). Higher academic level was related to better readability scores of the complex online text (p < 0.05).
    CONCLUSION: Overall, the general public has a limited awareness of low vision and a large misconception of blindness. Therefore, visual health education actions should aim at fostering knowledge and literacy on the issue. This strategy may encourage individuals to seek the advice of eye care providers in order to prevent and treat visual impairment, with relevant consequences in time, both in terms of quality of life and costs.
    Keywords:  Blindness; Health literacy; Low vision; Public knowledge; Readability
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.optom.2020.06.005
  9. Int J Med Inform. 2020 Jul 24. pii: S1386-5056(20)30993-X. [Epub ahead of print]141 104237
    Core competencies for clinical informaticians: A systematic review.
    Alan Davies, Julia Mueller, Georgina Moulton.
       BACKGROUND: Building on initial work carried out by the Faculty of Clinical Informatics (FCI) in the UK, the creation of a national competency framework for Clinical Informatics is required for the definition of clinical informaticians' professional attributes and skills. We aimed to systematically review the academic literature relating to competencies, skills and existing course curricula in the clinical and health related informatics domains.
    METHODS: Two independent reviewers searched Web of Science, EMBASE, ERIC, PubMed and CINAHL. Publications were included if they reported details of relevant competencies, skills and existing course curricula. We report findings using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) statement.
    RESULTS: A total of 82 publications were included. The most frequently used method was surveys (30 %) followed by narrative descriptions (28 %). Most of the publications describe curriculum design (23 %) followed by competency definition (18 %) and skills, qualifications & training (18 %). Core skills surrounding data, information systems and information management appear to be cross-cutting across the various informatics disciplines with Bioinformatics and Pharmacy Informatics expressing the most unique competency requirements.
    CONCLUSION: We identified eight key domains that cut across the different sub-disciplines of health informatics, including data, information management, human factors, project management, research skills/knowledge, leadership and management, systems development and evaluation, and health/healthcare. Some informatics disciplines such as Nursing Informatics appear to be further ahead at achieving widespread competency standardisation. Attempts at standardisation for competencies should be tempered with flexibility to allow for local variation and requirements.
    Keywords:  Bioinformatics; Clinical; Core competencies; Health; Healthcare data science; Informatics; Pharmacy; Requirements; Skills
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijmedinf.2020.104237
  10. JMIR Med Inform. 2020 Aug 11. 8(8): e23253
    Correction: Undergraduate Medical Students' Search for Health Information Online: Explanatory Cross-Sectional Study.
    Teresa Loda, Rebecca Erschens, Florian Junne, Andreas Stengel, Stephan Zipfel, Anne Herrmann-Werner.
      [This corrects the article DOI: 10.2196/16279.].
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.2196/23253
This page is being maintained by Thomas Krichel. It was last updated on 2024‒11‒22 at 4:18.