Evaluation of the Quality of Internet-based Information on Cleft Lip and Palate

Abstract

Background: Today, the Internet has become an important source of information widely used by both patients and healthy people. The aim of this study is to evaluate the quality of information on the Internet about cleft lip and palate using the DISCERN tool. Methods: On May 20, 2020, an internet search was conducted on Google, Yandex, Yahoo and Bing search engines with the keywords "lip and cleft", "cleft palate", "dudak-cleft palate" and "hare lip" in Turkish. The top 10 websites were determined by searching each term separately in each of the search engines. 55 websites from 160 websites in total were evaluated using the DISCERN tool consisting of 16 questions. Results: The DISCERN score of the websites evaluated ranged from 16 to 53 (average score 32.72). While only three of a total of 55 websites were classified as "good", none of them could be classified as "excellent". The biggest shortcomings on the websites included in the evaluation was not referring to the information provided, not explaining how treatment options affect the general quality of life, and not referring to additional sources of information that may be needed on the subject. Conclusion: It was observed that the information quality of Turkish websites that provided information about cleft lip and palate on the Internet was generally low. There is a need for websites with high information quality that provide accurate, impartial, understandable, scientific evidence-based information that individuals and families with cleft lip and palate need. © 2022, Selcuk University. All rights reserved.