Skip Navigation

This Article
Right arrow Full Text Freely available
Right arrow FREE Full Text (PDF ) Freely available
Right arrow Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when eLetters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in ISI Web of Science
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow Search for citing articles in:
ISI Web of Science (9)
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Ilic, D.
Right arrow Articles by Green, S.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Ilic, D.
Right arrow Articles by Green, S.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

Human Reproduction, Vol. 18, No. 3, 557-561, March 2003
© 2003 European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology

Specialized medical search-engines are no better than general search-engines in sourcing consumer information about androgen deficiency

D. Ilic1,2, T.L. Bessell1, C.A. Silagy* and S. Green1

1 Monash Institute of Health Services Research, Monash University, Clayton 3168, Australia

2 To whom correspondence should be addressed at: Monash Institute of Health Services Research, Locked Bag 29, Monash Medical Centre, Clayton VIC 3168, Australia. e-mail: dragan.ilic{at}med.monash.edu.au

BACKGROUND: The Internet provides consumers with access to online health information; however, identifying relevant and valid information can be problematic. Our objectives were firstly to investigate the efficiency of search-engines, and then to assess the quality of online information pertaining to androgen deficiency in the ageing male (ADAM). METHODS: Keyword searches were performed on nine search-engines (four general and five medical) to identify website information regarding ADAM. Search-engine efficiency was compared by percentage of relevant websites obtained via each search-engine. The quality of information published on each website was assessed using the DISCERN rating tool. RESULTS: Of 4927 websites searched, 47 (1.44%) and 10 (0.60%) relevant websites were identified by general and medical search-engines respectively. The overall quality of online information on ADAM was poor. The quality of websites retrieved using medical search-engines did not differ significantly from those retrieved by general search-engines. CONCLUSION: Despite the poor quality of online information relating to ADAM, it is evident that medical search-engines are no better than general search-engines in sourcing consumer information relevant to ADAM.

Keywords: ADAM/androgen deficiency/Internet/quality of information

* Professor C.A.Silagy contributed significantly to the design of this project but died prior to its completion. He was Director of the Monash Institute of Health Services Research.


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Health Informatics JournalHome page
E. G. Toms and C. Latter
How consumers search for health information
Health Informatics Journal, September 1, 2007; 13(3): 223 - 235.
[Abstract] [PDF]

Home page
 Rheumatology (Oxford)Home page
S. Maloney, D. Ilic, and S. Green
Accessibility, nature and quality of health information on the Internet: a survey on osteoarthritis
Rheumatology, March 1, 2005; 44(3): 382 - 385.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 BMJHome page
Minerva
BMJ, March 15, 2003; 326(7389): 608 - 608.
[Full Text] [PDF]


Disclaimer: Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.