Author:
Yang Wenjuan,Li Bingyan,Liu Min,Tong Dongtong,Zou Yang,Li Xing,Xie Lunfang
Abstract
Abstract
Background
With growing cases of breast cancer, WeChat public account, an important information publishing platform of WeChat, has become a breast cancer treatment health information provider to a huge audience. It is essential for health information to possess high-level accuracy and reliability. This work evaluates the quality of health information on breast cancer treatment in WeChat public accounts (WPAs), to benefit the patients while making treatment decisions and provide WPA authors with suggestions on publishing high-quality treatment health information.
Methods
With “breast cancer” as keywords, searches were implemented on weixin.sogou.com and the WeChat app. The WPAs oriented to patients with breast cancer were selected, and the four latest articles of each WPA were included in a set to be evaluated with DISCERN.
Results
A total of 37 WPAs and 136 articles published by them were included. The accounts operated by individual users were 54%. The median of overall quality of 136 articles was 44 (interquartile range = 10.75) and ranked as “fair”, of which only 28 (21%) were of “good” or higher quality. Among these articles, 74 (54%) were related to medical treatments, and 13 of them mentioned clinical trials; 36 (27%) dealt with surgery. 101 (74.26%) omitted additional sources of information; 102 (75%) did not explicitly suggest shared decision-making. A significant difference was not found in the dimensions “reliability of the articles” and “specific details of information on treatment choices” between the distinct categories of account subjects and various treatment options (P > 0.05).
Conclusions
The quality of the articles on breast cancer treatment health information in WPAs was moderate. WPA producers should focus on improving the reliability of information and providing more details on treatment options, to assist patients in making optimal decisions during treatment.
Funder
Anhui Medical University School of Nursing Graduate Youth Program Cultivation Project
Key project of natural science research in Colleges and universities of Anhui Province
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Subject
Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
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