Evaluating the quality of internet information for breast cancer

Abstract The internet is frequently used by patients for researching information regarding breast cancer. This study aims to assess the quality of these websites using validated tools. The term 'breast cancer' was searched for in 3 search engines. The top 20 results were selected, and duplicates and irrelevant websites were excluded. 26/34 websites were analysed using the DISCERN Plus tool, HONcode and the JAMA benchmarks. 46% of the websites were classed as ‘excellent’ when assessed with the DISCERN tool. The range of DISCERN scores was wide (range: 25–74). Nine websites were found to be HONcode certified. Seven websites complied with all four JAMA benchmarks. This study shows the quality of breast cancer information on the internet is on the whole good; however the range of quality is wide. We recommend healthcare professionals use all 3 tools together to establish which websites are best to advise which websites patients should trust.