PURPOSE: Many women have turned to the Internet for support and information about breastfeeding. Yet research has shown that some Web sites have inaccurate, misleading, and conflicting information. Nurses should take a role in evaluating Web sites so they can recommend to their patients quality sites for breastfeeding education. The purpose of this descriptive study was to evaluate the quality of Web sites on breastfeeding for patient education. THEORETICAL/CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK: The study was based on concepts of active learning and consumer health informatics. STUDY DESIGN AND METHOD: The first 30 Web sites on breastfeeding for patient education were selected using a search on the top three most visited search engines. The 30 sites were evaluated based on the Health Information Technology Institute (HITI) criteria, readability, and eight content areas from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) policy statement on breastfeeding. RESULTS: Only three of the 30 Web sites met all of the HITI criteria. Seven sites included all eight content areas from the AAP, and three sites did not include any of the information recommended by the AAP. The mean Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level for readability of the 30 sites was 9.2. Web sites that met 90% of the HITI criteria and had all of the AAP content areas were identified; there were five sites that met those standards. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: These five Web sites on breastfeeding can be used for patient education. They meet the standards of quality, present essential content on breastfeeding, and most are written at a reading level for the general public. Nurses can use the HITI criteria to evaluate other Web sites for patient education.
Session #1223 - Graduate Student Poster Session
The 29th Annual MNRS Research Conference (April 1-4, 2005)