bims-librar Biomed News
on Biomedical librarianship
Issue of 2021–03–21
fiveteen papers selected by
Thomas Krichel, Open Library Society
  1. Translational Personas and Hospital Library Services.
  2. Adoption of peer review of literature search strategies in knowledge synthesis from 2009 to 2018: An overview.
  3. What you see depends on where you sit: the effect of geographical location on web-searching for systematic reviews: A case study.
  4. Medical Students on the Virtual Front Line: A Literature Review Elective to Provide COVID-19 Clinical Teams With Essential Information.
  5. Still evolving medicine information services in the developing world.
  6. Quality and readability of online information on myofascial pain syndrome.
  7. Quality and readability of French on-line information about otitis media with effusion.
  8. Evaluation of YouTube videos as sources of information about multifocal intraocular lens.
  9. Readability and quality assessment of internet-based patient education materials related to nasal septoplasty.
  10. Assessing the quality of online information on glaucoma procedures.
  11. Assessing the quality of information provided on websites selling Kratom (Mitragyna speciosa) to consumers in Canada.
  12. Quality and Readability of Web-Based Information for Patients With Pancreatic Cysts: DISCERN and Readability Test Analysis.
  13. Appendicitis and patient information: content analysis of websites using the EQIP tool.
  14. Evaluation of online Spanish and English health materials for preventive mastectomy. are we providing adequate information?
  15. Named entity recognition on bio-medical literature documents using hybrid based approach.
  1. J Hosp Librariansh. 2020 ;20(3): 204-216
    Translational Personas and Hospital Library Services.
    Sara Gonzales, Lisa O'Keefe, Karen Gutzman, Guillaume Viger, Annie B Wescott, Bailey Farrow, Allison P Heath, Meen Chul Kim, Deanne Taylor, Robin Champieux, Po-Yin Yen, Kristi Holmes.
      Academic health centers, CTSA hubs, and hospital libraries experience similar funding challenges and charges to do more with less. In recent years academic health center and hospital librarians have risen to these challenges by examining their service models, and beyond that, examining their patron base and users' needs. To meet the needs of employees, patients, and those who assist patients, hospital librarians can employ the CTS Personas, a project of the Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) Program National Center for Data to Health. The Persona profiles, which outline the motivations, goals, pain points, wants, and needs of twelve employees and two patients in translational science, provide vital information and insights that can inform everything from designing software tools and educational services, to advertising these services, to designing impactful and collaborative library spaces.
    Keywords:  Hospital libraries; academic health centers; organizational structure; service models; translational science
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1080/15323269.2020.1778983
  2. Health Info Libr J. 2021 Mar 13.
    Adoption of peer review of literature search strategies in knowledge synthesis from 2009 to 2018: An overview.
    Christine J Neilson.
       BACKGROUND: Knowledge synthesis (KS) reviews rely on good quality literature searches to capture a complete set of relevant studies, and peer review of the search strategy is one quality control mechanism that contributes to better quality reviews. Guidelines for peer review of electronic search strategies (PRESS) have been available since 2008.
    OBJECTIVES: This overview provides a snapshot of KS indexed in Scopus, published between 2009 and 2018, that reported peer review of the literature search strategy.
    METHODS: Articles were identified through citation chasing for PRESS guidance documents and supplementary keyword searches. The characteristics of individual articles and the journals that published them were documented, and descriptive statistics were compiled.
    RESULTS: 415 articles from 169 journals met inclusion criteria. Approximately half were published in 14 journal titles. Most reviews reported the involvement of an information professional, but PRESS reviewers were rarely acknowledged. An overwhelming majority of review teams were based in Canada.
    DISCUSSION: Reported use of PRESS was low during the period examined, but under-reporting may be a factor. Investigation of the barriers and facilitators of PRESS adoption is needed.
    CONCLUSION: Despite its value, adoption of PRESS appears low. Advocacy for, and education about, PRESS may be required.
    Keywords:  guidelines; knowledge synthesis; literature searching; overview; peer review; research methodology; search strategies
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1111/hir.12367
  3. Res Synth Methods. 2021 Mar 13.
    What you see depends on where you sit: the effect of geographical location on web-searching for systematic reviews: A case study.
    Chris Cooper, Theo Lorenc, Ute Schauberger.
      There is limited guidance on how to web-search in systematic reviews and concern relates to the reproducibility of searches using search engines such as Google. The aim of this paper is to address one potential source of variation in Google searches: does the geographical location of a researcher affect Google search returns? Using a virtual private network, we ran the same web-search for the medical technology Dasatinib in twelve different countries. Two researchers independently extracted the search returns by country organised by page rank. We compared: C1. any difference in the items returned by Google searches between countries; and C2. any difference in the page rank of items returned between countries. Findings Searches were undertaken on Monday September 28th 2020. From 12 countries, 43 items were identified. For C1: 19 items were common to all 12 countries. Twenty-four items were missed by searches in some countries. This means that there were differences in search returns between countries. For C2: a randomised trial reported by Raddich et al. was the first search return for all countries. All other items, common to all countries, varied in their page-rank. We find that geographic location would appear to influence Google search returns based on the findings of this case study. The findings suggest that recording the location of the researcher undertaking web-searching may now be an important factor to report alongside detail on steps taken to minimise personalisation of web-searches covered by recent guidance. This finding also has implications for stopping-rules. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1002/jrsm.1485
  4. Acad Med. 2021 Mar 16.
    Medical Students on the Virtual Front Line: A Literature Review Elective to Provide COVID-19 Clinical Teams With Essential Information.
    Jeffrey R Boscamp, Christopher P Duffy, Carol Barsky, Bonita F Stanton.
       PROBLEM: At the Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine (HMSOM) in New Jersey, clinical activities for students were suspended on March 15, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Clinical teams at Hackensack Meridian Health (HMH) needed resources for identifying and assimilating the medical literature regarding COVID-19, which was expanding and evolving daily. HMH leaders reached out to HMSOM leaders for assistance. The HMSOM leadership and faculty quickly organized a literature review elective.
    APPROACH: Eight second-year medical students participated in a literature review elective course to research and synthesize the COVID-19 clinical literature to provide synopses of best practices for various clinical teams. By March 23, students were searching the literature and writing reports independently, mentored by a senior dean (an infectious diseases specialist) and supported by the associate dean of libraries and library team. The library team updated and categorized student reports daily on a website dedicated to the elective.
    OUTCOMES: During the 6-week elective, 8 students produced 70 reports synthesizing the emerging COVID-19 literature to help answer practitioners' clinical questions in real time. One student report was posted on the American Academy of Ophthalmology website. All 70 were published online in Elsevier's health education faculty hub. On course evaluations, students expressed regret about not being directly involved in patient care, but articulated their gratitude to be able to contribute to the clinical teams.
    NEXT STEPS: In June 2020, the students returned to their clinical clerkships as COVID-19 clinical volumes declined and PPE became more available. Students continued to be available to the clinical teams to assist with COVID-19 questions. This literature review elective can serve as a model for other medical schools to use to deploy students to help synthesize the evolving literature on COVID-19 or other rapidly emerging research topics.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1097/ACM.0000000000004070
  5. Res Social Adm Pharm. 2021 Apr;pii: S1551-7411(20)30816-0. [Epub ahead of print]17(4): 821-822
    Still evolving medicine information services in the developing world.
    C V N Harish, Aishwarya Anand, Amol Patil.
      
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sapharm.2020.07.007
  6. J Bodyw Mov Ther. 2021 Jan;pii: S1360-8592(20)30216-3. [Epub ahead of print]25 61-66
    Quality and readability of online information on myofascial pain syndrome.
    Fatih Bagcier, Ozan Volkan Yurdakul, Mustafa Huseyin Temel.
       INTRODUCTION: The reliability of the information on the Internet, which people use as an easy and practical solution about diseases, is essential for public health. Our aim in this study is to evaluate the quality and readability of websites related to myofascial pain syndrome.
    METHODS: On April 4, 2020, websites were searched on the Google search engine using the term "myofascial pain syndrome". The typologies, quality, readability, and content parameters of the sites were analyzed. Websites were divided into eight categories according to typology. To evaluate the quality, we evaluated the websites according to the JAMA scoring system or a HONcode certificate existence. Flesch-Kincaid grade and the Simple Measure of Gobbledygook was used to evaluate readability. Content analysis was performed for etiology, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment.
    RESULTS: 56 of the 151 websites evaluated were classified as high-quality websites. It was determined that the quality scores of scientific publications and professional websites were high. Comparing the readability parameters of the websites in terms of quality, there was no significant difference between high-quality websites and low-quality websites (p = 0.391 and 0.746 respectively). The content was focused on etiology on scientific websites, while on commercial and professional websites, the content was focused on treatment.
    CONCLUSION: High-quality websites did not offer an advantage in readability parameters. These results show that online information about MPS should be questioned and more extensive studies are required.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbmt.2020.11.001
  7. Eur Ann Otorhinolaryngol Head Neck Dis. 2021 Mar 10. pii: S1879-7296(21)00050-8. [Epub ahead of print]
    Quality and readability of French on-line information about otitis media with effusion.
    J Molher, L Duchene, N Bukhardt, D Bonnard, T Sagardoy.
       INTRODUCTION: Childhood otitis media with effusion (OME) is a frequent disease often misunderstood by parents. Information on the Internet is of variable quality and readability. The aim of this study was to measure the quality and readability of French websites related to OME.
    MATERIAL AND METHODS: An advanced Google search was conducted using the terms "Otite séro-muqueuse OR Otite séreuse". Quality was assessed on DISCERN criteria. Readability was assessed using Flesch Reading Ease Scoring (FRES), Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL), the Simple Measure of Gobbledygook (SMOG) and a Fry graph. Medians and standard deviations were calculated. Correlation between quality and readability was assessed on Spearman r coefficient.
    RESULTS: The first ten websites meeting inclusion and exclusion criteria were evaluated. One had been updated during the last 12 months. Median DISCERN score was 49±13.7/80. Median FRES score was 46±9.5/100. Median USA grade-level estimated by FKGL and SMOG respectively was 11±1.7 and 12±1.5. Six websites had Fry score>12. One website showed high quality. One had a readability score in the target range (below 9th grade reading level (age 14-15)) according to FRES and FKGL. A suggestive correlation was found between lower SMOG readability and higher quality: r=0.72 (P=0.024). Three websites followed the most recent scientific guidelines.
    CONCLUSION: Online information about OME was of variable quality and readability. Good quality information tended to be less easily understandable by parents.
    Keywords:  Information; Internet; Otitis media with effusion; Quality; Readability
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anorl.2021.03.003
  8. Semin Ophthalmol. 2021 Mar 18. 1-5
    Evaluation of YouTube videos as sources of information about multifocal intraocular lens.
    Orhan Altunel, Ender Sirakaya.
      Purpose: This study investigated the quality of YouTube videos addressing multifocal intraocular lens (IOL) as educational resources.Materials and Methods: An online search of YouTube was performed for the terms "multifocal lens implants" and "multifocal iol". A total of 339 videos were recorded. After these videos were investigated, the final remaining 140 videos were enrolled in the study. All videos were evaluated in terms of their DISCERN, Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), and Global Quality (GQ) scores by two independent experienced ophthalmologists.Results: The median DISCERN score was 33 (poor quality), JAMA score was 1.25 (lowest quality), and GQ score was 2 (poor quality). Of the 140 videos, 80 videos (57.1%) were uploaded by physicians and another 60 videos (42.9%) were uploaded by non-physicians. There was no statistically significant difference in general characteristics of the videos between the physicians and non-physicians groups. Also, their mean DISCERN, JAMA and GQ scores were similar between the groups (p = .101, p = .441 and p = .209, respectively).Conclusion: Our findings suggest that the content of YouTube videos regarding multifocal IOLs is of generally poor quality and is not adequately educational for patients. Nevertheless, to ensure patients' access to accurate medical information, we believe that the content and reliability of medical information obtained from online videos should be examined by healthcare specialists from the viewpoint of patients.
    Keywords:  DISCERN score; Global Quality Score; Journal of the American Medical Association score; YouTube; multifocal intraocular lens
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1080/08820538.2021.1900281
  9. J Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2021 Mar 17. 50(1): 16
    Readability and quality assessment of internet-based patient education materials related to nasal septoplasty.
    Elysia M Grose, Connor P Holmes, Kaishan A Aravinthan, Vincent Wu, John M Lee.
       BACKGROUND: Given that nasal septoplasty is a common procedure in otolaryngology - head and neck surgery, the objective of this study was to evaluate the quality and readability of online patient education materials on septoplasty.
    METHODS: A Google search was performed using eight different search terms related to septoplasty. Six different tools were used to assess the readability of included patient education materials. These included the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level, Flesch Reading Ease, Gunning-Fog Index, Simple Measure of Gobbledygook Index, Coleman-Liau Index, and Automated Readability Index. The DISCERN tool was used to assess quality and reliability.
    RESULTS: Eighty-five online patient education materials were included. The average Flesch-Reading Ease score for all patient education materials was 54.9 ± 11.5, indicating they were fairly difficult to read. The average reading grade level was 10.5 ± 2.0, which is higher than the recommended reading level for patient education materials. The mean DISCERN score was 42.9 ± 10.5 and 42% (36/85) of articles had DISCERN scores less than 39, corresponding to poor or very poor quality.
    CONCLUSION: The majority of online patient education materials on septoplasty are written above the recommended reading levels and have significant deficiencies in terms of their quality and reliability. Clinicians and patients should be aware of the shortcomings of these resources and consider the impact they may have on patients' decision making.
    Keywords:  Internet-based education; Nasal septum deviation; Patient education; Quality assessment; Readability assessment; Septoplasty
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1186/s40463-021-00507-z
  10. Can J Ophthalmol. 2021 Mar 13. pii: S0008-4182(21)00047-8. [Epub ahead of print]
    Assessing the quality of online information on glaucoma procedures.
    Ammar M Khan, Haaris M Khan, Paul Huang, Kevin Warrian, Patrick Gooi.
       OBJECTIVE: To investigate the quality of information related to glaucoma procedures found online using 2 different assessment tools.
    DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey of 100 web sites found via Google search engine.
    METHODS: The terms "peripheral iridotomy" and "trabeculectomy" along with synonymous keywords were inputted into Google's search engine. The first 50 functional websites for each term were assessed by 2 independent raters using the DISCERN instrument as well as a quality assessment tool by the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). Statistical analysis included an evaluation of intra-rater reproducibility and interclass correlation between the 2 scales.
    MAIN OUTCOME: (i) Quality of web site content based on DISCERN and JAMA scores, (ii) quality of web site based on categorization of web site (iii), intra-rater reproducibility of each scale, and (iv) interclass correlation between the 2 rating scales.
    RESULTS: Only 22% of the web sites for peripheral iridotomy and 34% of the web sites for trabeculectomy met all the criteria for JAMA's quality assessment. The mean DISCERN scores for peripheral iridotomy and trabeculectomy were 44 and 43.7, respectively, indicating poor quality. For the DISCERN scale, level of agreement between raters for each question ranged from κ = 0.550 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.700-1.026) to κ = 0.884 (95% CI 0.751-1.017). For the JAMA 4 scale, level of agreement for each question ranged from κ = 0.874 (95% CI 0.734-1.01) to κ = 1.00.
    CONCLUSION: Our study indicates that information found online for two common ophthalmic procedures is of variable and poor quality. Thus, patients may be receiving misinformation online and better measures need to be implemented to avoid the dissemination of low-quality health information.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcjo.2021.02.010
  11. Subst Abuse Treat Prev Policy. 2021 Mar 19. 16(1): 23
    Assessing the quality of information provided on websites selling Kratom (Mitragyna speciosa) to consumers in Canada.
    Jeremy Y Ng, Muhammad Ans, Amn Marwaha.
       BACKGROUND: Amid a Canadian opioid crisis, many have turned to natural health products, such as kratom (Mitragyna speciosa), to manage their opioid withdrawal. Kratom has also been reported to relieve anxiety, improve stamina, and heighten physical performance. Given that kratom is not authorized for sale by Health Canada, many have turned to online retailers to purchase kratom due to its easy accessibility online. This study investigated the quality of consumer health information provided on the websites of online vendors selling kratom to consumers in Canada.
    METHODS: Following searches on Google.ca using search terms designed to simulate the information-seeking behaviour of a typical patient-user online, eligible websites were assessed using the 16-question DISCERN instrument, a tool designed to assess the quality of consumer health information. Searches were conducted on March 27, 2020 and only websites presenting information in English were included.
    RESULTS: A total of 200 webpages were identified; after screening based on eligibility criteria and combining different webpages that belonged to the same website, 51 websites were found to be eligible. The mean summed DISCERN score across all 51 websites was 36.95 (SD = 2.44) out of 75, which reflects poor quality consumer health information across the subset of websites. The overall quality of websites was poor, as 78% (n = 40) of vendors received a score of 2 or less out of 5.
    CONCLUSIONS: Individuals who seek information about kratom online are frequently exposed to poor quality consumer health information. Those looking to purchase kratom online are not provided with the critical information necessary to make an informed decision regarding its use, such as the complete details about the risks and side effects or a description of how kratom affects the body. Given the growing interest in kratom, knowledge of the quality of information available can lead to improved dialogue between healthcare providers and patients.
    Keywords:  DISCERN; Healthcare professionals; Herbal; Kratom; Mitragyna speciosa; Natural health products; Online vendor
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1186/s13011-021-00361-2
  12. JMIR Cancer. 2021 Mar 16. 7(1): e25602
    Quality and Readability of Web-Based Information for Patients With Pancreatic Cysts: DISCERN and Readability Test Analysis.
    Sven P Oman, Himesh Zaver, Mark Waddle, Juan E Corral.
       BACKGROUND: Pancreatic cysts are a complex medical problem with several treatment options. Patients use web-based health information to understand their conditions and to guide treatment choices.
    OBJECTIVE: The goal of this study was to describe the quality and readability of publicly available web-based information on pancreatic cysts and to compare this information across website affiliations.
    METHODS: A Google search for "pancreatic cysts" was performed and the first 30 websites were evaluated. Website affiliations were classified as academic, media, nonprofit, government, or not disclosed. Information describing cancer risk was recorded. The DISCERN instrument measured the quality of content regarding treatment choices. Four standardized tests were used to measure readability.
    RESULTS: Twenty-one websites were included. The majority of the websites (20/21, 95%) described the cancer risk associated with pancreatic cysts. Nearly half of the websites were written by an academic hospital or organization. The average DISCERN score for all websites was 40.4 (range 26-65.5, maximum 80). Websites received low scores due to lack of references, failure to describe the risks of treatment, or lack of details on how treatment choices affect quality of life. The average readability score was 14.74 (range 5.76-23.85, maximum 19+), indicating a college reading level. There were no significant differences across website affiliation groups.
    CONCLUSIONS: Web-based information for patients with pancreatic cysts is of moderate quality and is written above the reading level of most Americans. Gastroenterological, cancer treatment organizations, and physicians should advocate for improving the available information by providing cancer risk stratification, treatment impact on quality of life, references, and better readability.
    Keywords:  health literacy; information seeking; internet; pancreas; pancreatic cyst; patient education
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.2196/25602
  13. J Med Internet Res. 2021 Mar 17.
    Appendicitis and patient information: content analysis of websites using the EQIP tool.
    Shahi Ghani, Ka Siu Fan, Ka Hay Fan, Lorenzo Lenti, Dimitri Raptis.
       BACKGROUND: Appendicitis is a common surgical problem among the young adult population, who are likely to use the Internet to obtain medical information. This information may determine the health-seeking behavior of an individual and may delay medical attention. Little is known regarding the quality of patient information on appendicitis on the Internet as this has not been previously studied.
    OBJECTIVE: To identify the quality of information on websites intended to the public regarding appendicitis.
    METHODS: We conducted a systematic review of information on appendicitis available online using 4 search terms in google 'appendicitis' 'appendix', 'appendectomy' and 'appendicectomy'. The top 100 websites of every search term were assessed using the validated 'Ensuring Quality Information for Patients' (EQIP) tool (Score 0-36).
    RESULTS: A total of 119 websites met the eligibility criteria for evaluation. The overall median EQIP score for all websites was 20 (Interquartile range 18-22). More than half the websites originated from the USA (53%). 45% of all websites originated from hospitals, though 43% of these did not mention qualitative risks from surgery. Incidence rates were only provided for complications and mortality in 13% and 3% of all websites respectively.
    CONCLUSIONS: The assessment of the quality and readability of websites concerning appendicitis by the EQIP tool indicates that most sites online were of poor credibility, with minimal information regarding complication rates and mortality. To improve education and awareness of appendicitis, there is an immediate need for more informative and patient-centred websites that are more compatible with international quality standards.
    CLINICALTRIAL:
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.2196/22618
  14. Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2021 Mar 15.
    Evaluation of online Spanish and English health materials for preventive mastectomy. are we providing adequate information?
    Diana D Del Valle, Jaime A Pardo, Amy M Maselli, Monica G Valero, Betty Fan, Nargiz Seyidova, Ted A James, Bernard T Lee.
       PURPOSE: Breast cancer remains the leading cause of cancer-related death in US Hispanic women. When present, lower health literacy levels potentially within this patient population require tailored materials to address health disparities. We aim to evaluate and compare Spanish and English online health care informative resources on preventive mastectomy.
    METHODS: A Google web search using "preventive mastectomy" and "mastectomía preventiva" was conducted. The first ten institutional/organizational websites in each language were selected. Assessment of mean reading grade level, cultural sensitivity, understandability, and actionability was carried out utilizing validated tools.
    RESULTS: The mean reading grade level for English materials was 14.69 compared with 11.3 for Spanish, both exceeding the recommended grade level established by the AMA and NIH. The mean cultural sensitivity score for English information was 2.20 compared with 1.88 for Spanish information, both below the acceptability benchmark of 2.5. English webpages scored 65% and 35% for understandability and actionability, respectively, while Spanish webpages scored 47% and 18%.
    CONCLUSIONS: Online English and Spanish preventive mastectomy materials were written at an elevated reading level and lacked cultural sensitivity. Spanish language information demonstrated inferior understandability, actionability, and cultural sensitivity. Addressing these issues provides an opportunity to help resolve health literature disparities regarding preventive mastectomy for US Hispanic women.
    Keywords:  Health literacy; Hispanic population; Online materials; Preventive mastectomy; Readability
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1007/s10549-021-06171-1
  15. J Ambient Intell Humaniz Comput. 2021 Mar 11. 1-10
    Named entity recognition on bio-medical literature documents using hybrid based approach.
    R Ramachandran, K Arutchelvan.
      There have been many changes in the medical field due to technological advances. The progression in technologies provides lot of opportunities to extract valuable insights from huge amount of unstructured data. The literature documents published by the researchers in medical domain consists enormous amount of knowledge. Many organizations are involving in retrieving the hidden information from the literature documents. Extracting the drug names, diseases, symptoms, route of administration, species and dosage forms from the textual document is an easy task due to the innovation of technologies in the Natural Language Processing. In this article, a new hybrid based approach is proposed to identify named entity from the medical literature documents. New dictionary has been built for route of administration, dosage forms and symptoms to annotate the entities in the medical documents. The annotated entities are trained by the blank Spacy machine learning model. The trained model provide a decent accuracy when compared with the existing model. The hybrid model is validated with the dictionary and human (optional)to calculate the confusion matrix. It is able to identify more entities than the prevailing model. The average F1 score for five entities of the proposed hybrid based approach 73.79%.
    Keywords:  Dictionary Based Approach; Machine Learning; Named Entity Recognition; Natural Language Processing; Transfer Learning
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1007/s12652-021-03078-z
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