[Reliability of digital health information on stress urinary incontinence compared between different platforms].

Abstract

Background: The interest in digital information on pelvic floor dysfunction is constantly increasing. Various digital platforms offer an easy and anonymous way for patients to seek information about their condition. However, little is known about the quality of the information on the different platforms or about the how the quality of different sites compares.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the completeness and quality of information on the search term "stress urinary incontinence" in comparison between different digital platforms.

Materials and methods: A systematic analysis of the keyword search "stress urinary incontinence" was performed on Google and the social networks Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and LinkedIn. The first 30 search results on each platform were evaluated. The results were categorized according to information content and readability. The Health On the Net Foundation (HON) seal was used to assess medical quality.

Results: The proportion of informative content was highest on YouTube (97%) and Google (93%). Content was predominantly provided by professional organizations on Google and YouTube. Information on conservative therapies dominated across all platforms. Surgical therapies were only discussed in up to 63% of results on Google and in up to 50% of results on YouTube. In most cases, there was also no comprehensive presentation of all surgical options. The readability of the texts was unsuitable for laypersons on all platforms, and HON certification was only present on Google (37%) and YouTube (3%).

Conclusion: The results offer practical insights into the quality of digital information on stress urinary incontinence. However, they show deficits in readability and comprehensive presentation of surgical therapies. The physician-patient relationship remains indispensable for taking individual needs into account and avoiding misinformation.