SynthesisJournal of medical Internet research2019
Credibility, Accuracy, and Comprehensiveness of Internet-Based Information About Low Back Pain: A Systematic Review.
Synthesis in Journal of medical Internet research, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 33 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
33 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- A Meta-Synthesis Exploring Daily Experiences of Adults With Coeliac Disease in Adhering to a Gluten-Free Diet.Journal of human nutrition and dietetics : the official journal of the British Dietetic Association · 2025Pooled it
- Novel Internet Support for Neck-Specific Rehabilitation Improves Work-Related Outcomes to the Same Extent as Extensive Visits to a Physiotherapy Clinic in Individuals with Chronic Whiplash-Associated Disorders: A Prospective Randomised Study.Journal of occupational rehabilitation · 2024Trial
- The Effects of Website Traits and Medical Skepticism on Patients' Willingness to Follow Web-Based Medical Advice: Web-Based Experiment.Journal of medical Internet research · 2022Trial
- Effect of a Consumer-Focused Website for Low Back Pain on Health Literacy, Treatment Choices, and Clinical Outcomes: Randomized Controlled Trial.Journal of medical Internet research · 2021Trial
- An infodemiological analysis of arabic online educational content on low back pain: Insights into quality and reliability.Journal of public health research · 2026Article
- Exploring the digital landscape: A scoping review of Achilles tendinopathy education on public websites and in randomised controlled trials.Clinical rehabilitation · 2026Article
- Mapping the quality of Norwegian health information -Does it facilitate informed choices?PloS one · 2026Article
- Quality of Online Information on Patient-Specific Knee Arthroplasty and Its Impact on Personalized Care.Clinics and practice · 2025Article
- "A tool to support, not replace": patient and general practitioner perceptions of digital decision support tools for back pain.Family practice · 2025Article
- What does Dr Google tell us about tendinopathies? An Italian analysis of online content.Pain management · 2025Article
- Cross-sectional analysis of online information on low back pain across South African chiropractic websites.Chiropractic & manual therapies · 2025Article
- The Availability and Readability of Multilingual Online Patient Materials for Legg-Calve-Perthes Disease.Journal of the Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America · 2025Article
- Evaluating musculoskeletal imaging communication interventions using behavioural science: a scoping review using the COM-B model.BMJ open · 2025Article
- Unhelpful Information About Low Back and Neck Pain on Physiotherapist's Websites.European journal of pain (London, England) · 2025Article
- Web-Based Information on Spinal Cord Stimulation: Qualitative Assessment of Publicly Accessible Online Resources.JMIR public health and surveillance · 2024Article
- A systematic review of the effectiveness of patient education through patient portals.JAMIA open · 2023Review
- Article
- Aeromedical retrieval services characteristics globally: a scoping review.Scandinavian journal of trauma, resuscitation and emergency medicine · 2022Article
- Recommendations on patient-facing websites regarding diagnostic imaging for low back, knee, and shoulder pain: A scoping review.PEC innovation · 2022Article
- Credibility, Accuracy, and Comprehensiveness of Readily Available Internet-Based Information on Treatment and Management of Peripheral Artery Disease and Intermittent Claudication: Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2022Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundLow back pain (LBP) affects millions of people worldwide, and misconceptions about effective treatment options for this condition are very common. Websites sponsored by organizations recognized as trustworthy by the public, such as government agencies, hospitals, universities, professional associations, health care organizations and consumer organizations are an important source of health information for many people. However, the content of these websites regarding treatment recommendations for LBP has not been fully evaluated.
objectiveThis study aimed to determine the credibility, accuracy, and comprehensiveness of treatment recommendations for LBP in noncommercial, freely accessible websites.
methodsWe conducted a systematic review of websites from government agencies, hospitals, universities, professional associations, health care organizations and consumer organizations. We conducted searches on Google. Treatment recommendations were coded based on the 2016 National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines and the 2017 American College of Physicians guideline on LBP. Primary outcomes were credibility of the website (4-item Journal of the American Medical Association benchmark), accuracy (proportion of website treatment recommendations that were appropriate), and comprehensiveness of website treatment recommendations (proportion of guideline treatment recommendations that were appropriately covered by a website).
resultsWe included 79 websites from 6 English-speaking countries. In terms of credibility, 31% (25/79) of the websites clearly disclosed that they had been updated after the publication of the NICE guidelines. Only 43.28% (487/1125) website treatment recommendations were judged as accurate. Comprehensiveness of treatment recommendations correctly covered by websites was very low across all types of LBP. For acute LBP, an average of 28% (4/14) guideline recommendations were correctly covered by websites. Websites for radicular LBP were the least comprehensive, correctly covering an average of 16% (2.3/14) recommendations.
conclusionsNoncommercial freely accessible websites demonstrated low credibility standards, provided mostly inaccurate information, and lacked comprehensiveness across all types of LBP.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.