Assessment of the Quality of Internet-Based Health Information in the Indonesian Language about Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome

Abstract

Objective: To investigate health information quality about PCOS on the internet in Indonesian language. Methods: Top website from two separate search engines (Google and Bing) was collected using the keyword of “sindrom ovarium polikistik” (polycystic ovarian syndrome). Analysis of health information quality on those websites was performed. Results: Sixty-nine websites were included for analysis. The majority of those websites have good information quality in terms of content accuracy and website credibility. There was no difference in quality between the two search engines. The website was found at the top two pages in each search engine to have better quality than the later pages (p=0.02). The educational website had better quality (p=0.05). The website made by healthcare organizations had better quality (p=0.04). The non-commercial website had better information quality (p=0.01). Conclusions: Criteria affecting health information quality on the internet were as follows: found at the top two pages on a search engine; educational website; made by healthcare organization; and non-commercial purpose.