Assessment of Internet Available Patient Information on Chronic Pancreatitis Using the Ensuring Quality Information for Patients Tool: A Systematic Search and Evaluation

Abstract

<b><i>Introduction:</i></b> Chronic pancreatitis (CP) is a relevant chronic medical problem whereby delayed presentation and poor patient understanding can cause adverse effects. Quality of patient information available on the internet about CP is not known. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> A systematic review of the information about CP available online using the search term “chronic pancreatitis” in using the search engine Google has been conducted. The quality of the top 100 websites returned from this search term was analysed using the validated Ensuring Quality Information for Patients (EQIP) tool (maximum score 36). Additional items were included in the website analysis specific to CP. <b><i>Results:</i></b> In total, 45 websites were eligible for analysis. The median EQIP score of the websites was 16 (interquartile range 12–19.5). The majority of websites originated from the USA and the United Kingdom with 31 and 11 websites, respectively. Provision of additional information was inconsistent, with most websites covering information regarding aetiology and advocating alcohol and tobacco cessation, but only few reporting on more complex issues. <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> Internet available information about CP is of limited quality. There is an immediate need for high quality, patient targeted, and informative literature accessible on the internet about this topic.