What is the quality of information about bariatric surgery on the internet?

backgroundThe purpose of this study was to evaluate the role of Internet on patients scheduled for bariatric procedures and the quality of information available on different websites.

methodsBetween July 2003 to July 2005, patients undergoing bariatric surgical procedures completed a survey. Data were collected prospectively. One hundred valid surveys were returned. Independently, two bariatric surgeons evaluated available French and English websites using major search engines.

resultsForty-two of 100 patients (42%) sought information about bariatric surgery on the Internet. Seventy-four percent of these patients (n = 31/42) used search engines with 81% visiting less than ten websites. According to the patient's evaluation, 58% of the websites visited did not provide technical details of any surgical bariatric procedures, and only 61% provided information regarding postoperative weight loss. Furthermore, 58% of websites did not provide information about the laparoscopic approach, and 54% did not give any information on potential postoperative complications. Bariatric surgeon's evaluation was similar except for two differences: laparoscopic approach and postoperative weight loss information were discussed in 90% (p < 0.001) and 43% (p < 0.1) of visited websites, respectively.

conclusionWhen the Internet was used to search for information about bariatric surgery, search engines were preferentially used but search duration was short. Available Internet websites can be considered as moderately reliable; however, 25% of visited websites contain misleading information. Comparison between patients and surgeons views showed that patients were effective in detecting misleading information.