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BACKGROUND: Wikipedia is the largest free online encyclopedia and the seventh most visited website worldwide, containing >45,000 freely accessible English-language medical articles accessed nearly 1.6 billion times annually. Concerns have been expressed about the balance of content related to biological sex on Wikipedia. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to categorize the top 1000 most-read (most popular) English-language Wikipedia health articles for June 2019 according to the relevance of the article topic to each sex and quality. METHODS: In the first step, Wikipedia articles were identified using WikiProject Medicine Popular Pages. These were analyzed on 13 factors, including total views, article quality, and total number of references. In the second step, 2 general medical textbooks were used as comparators to assess whether Wikipedia's spread of articles was typical compared to the general medical coverage. According to the article's content, we proposed criteria with 5 categories: 1="exclusively female," 2="predominantly female but can also affect male individuals," 3="not sex specific or neutral," 4=predominantly male but can affect female individuals," and 5="exclusively male." RESULTS: Of the 1000 Wikipedia health articles, 993 (93.3%) were not sex specific and 67 (6.7%) were sex specific. There was no statistically significant difference in the number of reads per month between the sex-specific and non-sex-specific articles (P=.29). Coverage of female topics was higher (50/1000, 5%) than male topics (17/1000, 1.7%; this difference was also observed for the 2 medical textbooks, in which 90.2% (2330/2584) of content was not sex specific, female topics accounted for 8.1% (209/2584), and male topics for accounted for 1.7% (45/2584; statistically significant difference; Fisher exact test P=.03). Female-category articles were ranked higher on the Wikipedia medical topic importance list (top, high, or mid importance) than male-category articles (borderline statistical significance; Fisher exact test P=.05). Female articles had a higher number of total and unique references; a slightly higher number of page watchers, pictures, and available languages; and lower number of edits than male articles (all were statistically nonsignificant). CONCLUSIONS: Across several metrics, a sample of popular Wikipedia health-related articles for both sexes had comparable quality. Wikipedia had a lower number of female articles and a higher number of neutral articles relative to the 2 medical textbooks. These differences were small, but statistically significant. Higher exclusively female coverage, compared to exclusively male coverage, in Wikipedia articles was similar to the 2 medical textbooks and can be explained by inclusion of sections on obstetrics and gynecology. This is unlike the imbalance seen among biographies of living people, in which approximately 77.6% pertain to male individuals. Although this study included a small sample of articles, the spread of Wikipedia articles may reflect the readership and the population's content consumption at a given time. Further study of a larger sample of Wikipedia articles would be valuable.

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BACKGROUND: Oncological patients have high information needs that are often unmet. Patient versions of oncological clinical practice guidelines (PVG) translate clinical practice guidelines into laypersons' language and might help to address patients' information needs. Currently, 30 oncological PVG have been published in Germany and more are being developed. Following a large multi-phase project on oncological PVGs in Germany, recommendations to improve use and dissemination of PVG were adopted in a multi-stakeholder workshop. METHODS: Organisations representing users of PVGs (patients, medical personnel, and multipliers), creators, initiators/funding organisations of PVGs, and organisations with methodological expertise in the development of clinical practice guidelines or in patient health information were invited to participate. The workshop included a World Café for discussion of pre-selected recommendations and structured consensus procedure for of all recommendations. Recommendations with agreement of > 75% were approved, and in case of ≤ 75% agreement, recommendations were rejected. RESULTS: The workshop took place on 24th April 2023 in Cologne, Germany. Overall, 23 people from 24 organisations participated in the discussion. Of 35 suggested recommendations 28 recommendations reached consensus and were approved. The recommendations referred to the topics dissemination (N = 13), design and format (N = 7), (digital) links (N = 5), digitalisation (N = 4), up-to-dateness (N = 3), and use of the PVG in collaboration between healthcare providers and patients (N = 3). CONCLUSION: The practical recommendations consider various perspectives and can help to improve use and dissemination of oncological PVG in Germany. The inclusion of different stakeholders could facilitate the transfer of the results into practice.

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Introduction: Radiologists frequently lack direct patient contact due to time constraints. Digital medical interview assistants aim to facilitate the collection of health information. In this paper, we propose leveraging conversational agents to realize a medical interview assistant to facilitate medical history taking, while at the same time offering patients the opportunity to ask questions on the examination. Methods: MIA, the digital medical interview assistant, was developed using a person-based design approach, involving patient opinions and expert knowledge during the design and development with a specific use case in collecting information before a mammography examination. MIA consists of two modules: the interview module and the question answering module (Q&A). To ensure interoperability with clinical information systems, we use HL7 FHIR to store and exchange the results collected by MIA during the patient interaction. The system was evaluated according to an existing evaluation framework that covers a broad range of aspects related to the technical quality of a conversational agent including usability, but also accessibility and security. Results: Thirty-six patients recruited from two Swiss hospitals (Lindenhof group and Inselspital, Bern) and two patient organizations conducted the usability test. MIA was favorably received by the participants, who particularly noted the clarity of communication. However, there is room for improvement in the perceived quality of the conversation, the information provided, and the protection of privacy. The Q&A module achieved a precision of 0.51, a recall of 0.87 and an F-Score of 0.64 based on 114 questions asked by the participants. Security and accessibility also require improvements. Conclusion: The applied person-based process described in this paper can provide best practices for future development of medical interview assistants. The application of a standardized evaluation framework helped in saving time and ensures comparability of results.

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INTRODUCTION: The usual output following health consultations from paediatric services is a clinical letter to the referring professional or primary care provider, with a copy sent to the patient's caregiver. There is little research on how patients and caregivers perceive the letter content. We aimed to: first understand child, young people and caregiver experiences of and preferences for receiving a health feedback letter about the child/young person's health measures within a healthy lifestyle programme; and second to provide a set of recommendations for designing letters to children, young people and their families within a healthy lifestyle programme. METHODS: This qualitative study, informed by Kaupapa Maori principles, included focus groups of children aged 5-11 years and young people aged 12-18 years who were participants in a healthy lifestyle programme in Taranaki, Aotearoa New Zealand and of their respective caregivers (total n = 47). Discussions were audio-recorded, transcribed and analysed using thematic analysis. FINDINGS: Key themes were identified: letters sometimes acted as 'discourses of disempowerment'-some participants experienced a lack of safety, depersonalisation with medical jargon and 'feeling like a number'. Participants described the need for acknowledgement and affirmation in written communication-health feedback should include validation, choice regarding content, respectful tone and a strengths-based approach to health messages. INTERPRETATION: Letters to referrers, copied to families, can be perceived as disempowering, and participant and caregiver perspectives of content should be considered. This study challenges conventional practice in communicating health feedback with broader implications for written communication in healthcare. We propose separate letters aimed at the child/young person and their caregiver that offer choice in the information they receive. The administrative burden of multiple letters can be mitigated by advances in digital health. PATIENT CONTRIBUTION: This study originated in response to feedback from service users that current health feedback was not meeting their needs or expectations. Patient perspectives, especially from children, are rarely considered in the generation of clinic letters from health professionals. Participants were child participants in the community-based clinical service and their caregivers, and care was taken to represent the demographic backgrounds of service users. Collection and interpretation of Maori data were led by researchers who were local community members to ensure prioritisation and preservation of participant voice. Where possible, results are illustrated in the text by direct quotes from participants, whose identities are protected with a pseudonym.

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OBJECTIVES: We evaluated what proportion of families have a consumer-grade pulse oximeter, why they bought one, and how they choose to use it. WORKING HYPOTHESIS: We hypothesized that children followed in cardiorespiratory clinics would be more likely to have an oximeter than children attending a more general clinic. STUDY DESIGN AND SUBJECT SELECTION: We carried out a cross-sectional study using a convenience sample of children attending a respirology, cardiology, or gastroenterology clinic at a children's hospital. Consenting guardians completed a survey. RESULTS: Two-hundred families completed the survey. Fifty-three (26.5%; 53/200) had an oximeter at home. The proportion of children attending a cardiorespiratory clinic who had an oximeter was higher than another clinic (p = 0.08), but 15.5% of children attending the latter also had access to one. Of devices not funded by government insurance, over 80% of devices were "fingertip" clamp-style oximeters, and 50% were purchased online. Most devices were used only when the child was ill (83.7%; 36/43). Only about 1/3 of families had received education about using an oximeter, and a similar proportion had compared their oximeter to a medical-grade device. Only 2.4% (1/42) respondents did not feel that their device was "somewhat" or "very" accurate. The oxygen saturation that would prompt seeking emergency care was similar to most pediatric acute care guidelines. CONCLUSIONS: Many children, particularly those with cardiorespiratory conditions, have access to consumer-grade pulse oximeters. Asking about the presence of an oximeter should be part of the pediatric history, and families responding affirmatively should be offered education.

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The Internet is increasingly being used as a health information resource. This meta-ethnography aimed to synthesize the literature on how parents of children aged below 5 years' experienced using the Internet for health information purposes. We employed an interpretive meta-synthesis approach-meta-ethnography-according to Noblit & Hare's seven phases. A total of 22 articles met the inclusion criteria, representing four continents and with 650 participants, mainly mothers. We analysed and synthesized the primary studies into the following lines-of-argument synthesis representing a novel conceptual understanding of the phenomenon: Parents experience the Internet as "A cyber partner for child caring" being a 24/7 available "go-to" among other confined sources. Parents find ways of "patching together" trustworthy information in solicitude for their child's health while navigating between trust and anxiety. They relate online and share their experiences and secrets without being rejected. Clinicians and parents may benefit from "partnering" with this resource.

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OBJECTIVE: Understand if cancer fatalism among adult social media users in the United States is linked to social media informational awareness and if the relationship varies by education level. METHODS: Cross-sectional data from the 2022 Health Information National Trends Survey (n = 3,948) were analyzed using multivariable linear probability models. The study population was defined as social media users active within the past year. The outcome variable was cancer fatalism and the predictor variables were social media informational awareness and education level. RESULTS: Participants with low social media informational awareness were 9% (95% CI = 3, 15), 6% (95% CI = 1, 11), and 21% (95% CI = 14, 27) percentage points more likely to agree that it seems like everything causes cancer, you cannot lower your chances of getting cancer, and there are too many cancer prevention recommendations to follow, respectively. Participants with a college degree or higher level of education and who reported high social media informational awareness were the least likely to agree that everything causes cancer (60%; 95% CI = 54, 66), you cannot lower your chances of getting cancer (14%; 95% CI = 10, 19), and there are too many cancer prevention recommendations to follow (52%; 95% CI = 46, 59). CONCLUSION: Social media informational awareness was associated with lower levels of cancer fatalism among adult social media users. College graduates with high social media informational awareness were the least likely to report cancer fatalism.

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AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: This is a protocol of a scoping review that will aim to synthesise methodological evidence on formulating plain language versions of recommendations from guidelines both for clinical practice and for public health. METHOD: We will conduct a search in MEDLINE (Ovid), Embase (Ovid) databases, and webpages of guidelines developers with no language and date limitations. The title/abstract and full-text screening will be performed by two reviewers independently. The team of reviewers will extract data on methods used for developing plain language versions of recommendations in a standardised manner. The data analysis and synthesis will be presented narratively in tabular form. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: We will conduct a scoping review based on this protocol.

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Background: Unmet need for health care is defined as choosing to postpone or completely avoid necessary medical treatment despite having a need for it, which can worsen current conditions or contribute to new health problems. The emerging infodemic can be a barrier that prevents people from accessing quality health information, contributing to lower levels of seeking medical care when needed. Objective: We evaluated the association between perceptions of health mis- and disinformation on social media and unmet need for health care. In addition, we evaluated mechanisms for this relationship, including frequency of social media use, medical trust, and medical care discrimination. Methods: Data from 3964 active adult social media users responding to the 2022 Health Information National Trends Survey 6 (HINTS 6), a nationally representative survey, were analyzed. The outcome was unmet need for medical care, defined as delaying or not getting the necessary medical care. The predictor variables were perception of social media health mis- and disinformation, frequency of social media use, level of trust in the health care system, and perceived racial and ethnic discrimination when receiving health care. Results: Multivariable logistic regression models indicated that perception of substantial social media health mis- and disinformation (odds ratio [OR] 1.40, 95% CI 1.07-1.82), daily use of social media (OR 1.34, 95% CI 1.01-1.79), low medical trust (OR 1.46, 95% CI 1.06-2.01), and perceived discrimination (OR 2.24, 95% CI 1.44-3.50) were significantly associated with a higher likelihood of unmet need for medical care. Unmet need among adults who did not use social media daily and who did not perceive substantial mis- and disinformation (24%; 95% CI 19%-30%) was lower compared to daily social media users who perceived substantial mis- and disinformation (38%; 95% CI 32%-43%). Adults who perceived substantial mis- and disinformation and had low trust in health care had the highest probability of reporting unmet need (43%; 95% CI 38%-49%) compared to the other three groups. Adults who perceived substantial mis- and disinformation and experienced medical care discrimination had a statistically significant higher probability of reporting unmet need (51%; 95% CI 40%-62%) compared to adults who did not experience medical care discrimination and did not perceive substantial mis- and disinformation (29%; 95% CI 26%-32%). Conclusions: Unmet need for medical care was higher among individuals who perceived a substantial degree of social media mis- and disinformation, especially among those who used social media daily, did not trust the health care system, and experienced racial or ethnic discrimination when receiving health care. To counter the negative effects of social media mis- and disinformation on unmet need for health care, public health messaging must focus on daily social media users as well as improving trust and reducing structural racism in the health care system.

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El objetivo de la presente revisión sistemática consistió en determinar el efecto de la comunicación en el ámbito sanitario sobre la kinesiofobia. Para ello, se realizó una búsqueda bibliográfica en siete bases de datos entre noviembre de 2022 y febrero de 2023. La revisión se efectuó acorde a la declaración Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) y para el análisis de la calidad metodológica se utilizaron: la escala Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro), los criterios de Van Tulder y el análisis del riesgo de sesgo de la Colaboración Cochrane. Se incluyeron un total de 13 artículos que presentaron una calidad metodológica media de 7,1 sobre 10. Se obtuvieron resultados significativos para al menos una variable (kinesiofobia, discapacidad o nivel de actividad física) en 12 trabajos. Existe evidencia sólida de que la comunicación puede influir sobre la kinesiofobia del sujeto. Es más probable que esta influencia ocurra en un sentido negativo o discapacitante, pero también puede actuar en sentido positivo disminuyendo la misma. (AU)

The aim of the present systematic review was to determine the effect of communication in the health care setting on kinesiophobia. To this end, a literature search was conducted in seven databases between November 2022 and February 2023. The review was carried out following the PRISMA statement and for the analysis of methodological quality we used: PEDro Scale, Van Tulder criteria and risk of bias analysis of the Cochrane Collaboration. A total of 13 articles were included with a mean methodological quality of 7.1 out of 10. Significant results were obtained for at least one variable (kinesiophobia, disability or level of physical activity) in 12 articles. There is strong evidence that communication can influence a subject's kinesiophobia. This influence is most likely to be in a negative or disabling sense, but it can also act in a positive sense by decreasing it. (AU)

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PURPOSE: Our goal was to understand the general attitudes of pediatric urologists regarding the U.S. News & World Report rankings for Best Children's Hospitals in Urology. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We performed a cross-sectional survey study distributed via email to active and candidate members of the Societies for Pediatric Urology from October 2022 to December 2022. This anonymous survey was iteratively developed to contain multiple choice questions gathering information on demographics, personal interaction with the rankings system, and about attitudes toward the rankings across various domains. RESULTS: Of the 515 members surveyed, 264 pediatric urologists responded to the survey for a response rate of 51%. There was representation from all sections of the AUA and across all age categories and practice models. Overall, of the respondents, 71% disagreed that the rankings had led to improvements in care and 75% disagreed that programs were reporting their data honestly. Additionally, 71% believed the rankings are inaccurate in reflecting patient outcomes. The majority (86%) of respondents stated they would support organized efforts to withdraw from the rankings. This was significantly different by ranking cohort, with 78% from top 10 programs endorsing withdrawal vs 89% from those programs not in the top 10. CONCLUSIONS: Our survey found that most pediatric urologists would support efforts to withdraw from participating in the rankings and believe that programs are dishonest in reporting their data. The majority also do not believe a survey can adequately distinguish between programs. This highlights a clear need for a critical reevaluation of the rankings.

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BACKGROUND: Libraries provide public access to information that may be used to inform healthcare decisions. Exploring the health information needs of library-users could improve community health outcomes, especially during times of crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to identify the health information needs of library-users to explore the potential role of libraries in advancing community health. METHODS: A quantitative, descriptive, cross-sectional survey was employed. RESULTS: One hundred and fifty participants in the (Memphis) Tennessee metropolitan area, ranging from 18 to 84 years of age, completed the survey between September 2020 and April 2021. Most respondents reported seeking physical and mental health-related information from libraries. In addition, nearly half of respondents reported delaying medical care due to risk of exposure to COVID-19, cost or appointment issues. DISCUSSION: Study results indicated that there were urgent health information needs among library-users in this community, that COVID-19 further limited or delayed access to information, and that library-users accessed health information during library visits. CONCLUSION: Public libraries have the potential to serve as information hubs to improve community health outcomes. Additional research should be conducted to collect qualitative community health information needs and the ways in which public library systems can address them.

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BACKGROUND: Recently, public health data dashboards have gained popularity as trusted, up-to-date sources of health information. However, their usability and usefulness may be limited. OBJECTIVE: To identify the requirements of usable public health data dashboards through a case study with domain experts. METHODS: Paired-user virtual data collection sessions were conducted with 20 experts in three steps: (1) a monitored use of an existing dashboard to complete tasks and discuss the usability problems, (2) a survey rating user experience, and (3) an interview regarding the users and use cases. Data analysis included quantitative analysis of the survey findings and thematic analysis of the audio transcripts. RESULTS: Analyses yielded several findings: (1) familiar charts with clear legends and labels should be used to focus users' attention on the content; (2) charts should be organized in a simple and consistent layout; (3) contextual information should be provided to help with interpretations; (4) data limitations should be clearly communicated; (5) guidance should be provided to lead user interactions. DISCUSSION: The identified requirements guide health librarians and information professionals in evaluating public health data dashboards. CONCLUSION: Public health data dashboards should be designed based on users' needs to provide useful up-to-date information sources for health information consumers.

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This study aimed to analyze the communication process of healthcare professionals for the promotion of health literacy. It is a qualitative study that utilized individual online interviews with 46 healthcare professionals working in Brazil. The thematic content analysis technique proposed by Bardin was employed, and Atlas Ti software assisted in the assessment and interpretation of the texts. Content categorization revealed 26 sub-themes, and the coding of these identified nine themes and three categories. The communication process in health literacy education was composed of a set of interdependent and interrelated variables termed emotions, professional preparedness, interprofessional collaboration, patient needs assessment, building rapport, family inclusion in the educational process, environmental aspects, strategies, and resources for teaching and learning. These data may support the analysis of health communication in healthcare services, the creation of data collection instruments, and the development of training programs to enhance skills within the context of the identified variables.

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BACKGROUND: Mis- and disinformation on social media have become widespread, which can lead to a lack of trust in health information sources and, in turn, lead to negative health outcomes. Moreover, the effect of mis- and disinformation on trust in information sources may vary by racial and ethnic minoritized populations. OBJECTIVE: We evaluated how trust in multiple sources of cancer information varied by perceptions of health mis- and disinformation on social media and by race and ethnicity. METHODS: Cross-sectional, nationally representative survey data from noninstitutionalized adults in the United States from the 2022 Health Information National Trends Survey 6 (HINTS 6) were analyzed (N=4137). The dependent variable measured the level of trust in cancer information sources. The independent variables were perceptions about health mis- and disinformation on social media and race and ethnicity. Multivariable logistic regression models were adjusted for survey weight and design, age, birth gender, race and ethnicity, marital status, urban/rural designation, education, employment status, feelings about household income, frequency of social media visits, and personal and family history of cancer. We also tested the interaction effect between perceptions of social media health mis- and disinformation and participants' self-reported race and ethnicity. RESULTS: Perception of "a lot of" health mis- and disinformation on social media, relative to perception of "less than a lot," was associated with a lower likelihood of high levels of trusting cancer information from government health agencies (odds ratio [OR] 0.60, 95% CI 0.47-0.77), family or friends (OR 0.56, 95% CI 0.44-0.71), charitable organizations (OR 0.78, 95% CI 0.63-0.96), and religious organizations and leaders (OR 0.64, 95% CI 0.52-0.79). Among White participants, those who perceived a lot of health mis- and disinformation on social media were less likely to have high trust in cancer information from government health agencies (margin=61%, 95% CI 57%-66%) and family or friends (margin=49%, 95% CI 43%-55%) compared to those who perceived less than a lot of health mis- and disinformation on social media. Among Black participants, those who perceived a lot of health mis- and disinformation on social media were less likely to have high trust in cancer information from religious organizations and leaders (margin=20%, 95% CI 10%-30%) compared to participants who perceived no or a little health mis- and disinformation on social media. CONCLUSIONS: Certain sources of cancer information may need enhanced support against the threat of mis- and disinformation, such as government health agencies, charitable organizations, religious organizations and leaders, and family or friends. Moreover, interventions should partner with racial and ethnically minoritized populations that are more likely to have low trust in certain cancer information sources associated with mis- and disinformation on social media.

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Background and Objectives: Patient portals are secure online platforms that allow patients to perform electronic health management tasks and engage in bidirectional information exchange with their care team. Some health systems administer Medicare Annual Wellness Visit (AWV) health risk assessments through the patient portal. Scalable opportunities from portal-based administration of risk assessments are not well understood. Our objective is 2-fold-to understand who receives vs misses an AWV and health risk assessment and explore who might be missed with portal-based administration. Research Design and Methods: This is an observational study of electronic medical record and patient portal data (10/03/2021-10/02/2022) for 12 756 primary care patients 66+ years from a large academic health system. Results: Two-thirds (n = 8420) of older primary care patients incurred an AWV; 81.0% of whom were active portal users. Older adults who were active portal users were more likely to incur AWV than those who were not, though portal use was high in both groups (81.0% with AWV vs 76.8% without; p < .001). Frequently affirmative health risk assessment categories included falls/balance concerns (44.2%), lack of a documented advanced directive (42.3%), sedentary behaviors (39.9%), and incontinence (35.1%). Mean number of portal messages over the 12-month observation period varied from 7.2 among older adults affirmative responses to concerns about safety at home to 13.8 for older adults who reported difficulty completing activities of daily living. Portal messaging varied more than 2-fold across affirmative health risk categories and were marginally higher with greater number affirmative (mean = 13.8 messages/year no risks; 19.6 messages/year 10+ risks). Discussion and Implications: Most older adults were active portal users-a group more likely to have incurred a billed AWV. Efforts to integrate AWV risk assessments in the patient portal may streamline administration and scalability for dissemination of tailored electronically mediated preventive care but must attend to equity issues.

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BACKGROUND: Healthcare systems are increasingly resource constrained, leaving less time for important patient-provider interactions. Conversational agents (CAs) could be used to support the provision of information and to answer patients' questions. However, information must be accessible to a variety of patient populations, which requires understanding questions expressed at different language levels. METHODS: This study describes the use of Large Language Models (LLMs) to evaluate predefined medical content in CAs across patient populations. These simulated populations are characterized by a range of health literacy. The evaluation framework includes both fully automated and semi-automated procedures to assess the performance of a CA. RESULTS: A case study in the domain of mammography shows that LLMs can simulate questions from different patient populations. However, the accuracy of the answers provided varies depending on the level of health literacy. CONCLUSIONS: Our scalable evaluation framework enables the simulation of patient populations with different health literacy levels and helps to evaluate domain specific CAs, thus promoting their integration into clinical practice. Future research aims to extend the framework to CAs without predefined content and to apply LLMs to adapt medical information to the specific (health) literacy level of the user.

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BACKGROUND: Infographics facilitate rapid information dissemination with enriched eye-catching content on social media, but it is unclear what factors affect the adoption of information presented in this way. OBJECTIVES: We tested whether the Information Acceptance Model applies to infographics on healthy lifestyle and fitness topics. METHODS: Two hundred and four university students were invited to participate in an online survey on their acceptance after reading some healthy lifestyle and fitness topics infographics shared on social media. The data collected were analysed using Partial Least Square path modelling. RESULTS: The results confirmed information usefulness as a predictor of information adoption; attitude towards information and information adoption were the predictors of behavioural intention. Information credibility and attitude towards information, but not information quality and needs, were significantly related to information usefulness. Social media usage and education level were factors affecting infographics impressions. DISCUSSION: Results support most hypotheses. It confirms information usefulness as a predictor of infographics adoption. Attitudes towards information and information adoption are predictors of behavioural intentions of following healthy lifestyle and fitness suggestions through social media infographics. CONCLUSION: Social media facilitates interpersonal communication, information exchange and knowledge sharing, and infographics may draw people into healthy lifestyle and fitness information items relevant to them.

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BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) represents the greatest burden of mortality worldwide, and statins are the most commonly prescribed drug in its management. A wealth of information pertaining to statins and their side effects is on the internet; however, to date, no assessment of the accuracy, credibility, and readability of this information has been undertaken. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the quality (accuracy, credibility, and readability) of websites likely to be visited by the general public undertaking a Google search of the side effects and use of statin medications. METHODS: Following a Google web search, we reviewed the top 20 consumer-focused websites with statin information. Website accuracy, credibility, and readability were assessed based on website category (commercial, not-for-profit, and media), website rank, and the presence or absence of the Health on the Net Code of Conduct (HONcode) seal. Accuracy and credibility were assessed following the development of checklists (with 20 and 13 items, respectively). Readability was assessed using the Simple Measure of Gobbledegook scores. RESULTS: Overall, the accuracy score was low (mean 14.35 out of 20). While side effects were comprehensively covered by 18 websites, there was little information about statin use in primary and secondary prevention. None of the websites met all criteria on the credibility checklist (mean 7.8 out of 13). The median Simple Measure of Gobbledegook score was 9.65 (IQR 8.825-10.85), with none of the websites meeting the recommended reading grade of 6, even the media websites. A website bearing the HONcode seal did not mean that the website was more comprehensive or readable. CONCLUSIONS: The quality of statin-related websites tended to be poor. Although the information contained was accurate, it was not comprehensive and was presented at a reading level that was too difficult for an average reader to fully comprehend. As such, consumers risk being uninformed about this pharmacotherapy.