Most Web-based tools for diabetes management are ineffective, according to a study recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, CMIO reports.
Methodology
For the study, researchers from Toronto-based St. Michael's Hospital and the University of Toronto identified Web-accessible tools by searching the medical literature databases CINAHL, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, EMBASE and Medline. Researchers used the following search words:
Key Findings
The researchers determined that:
Methodology
For the study, researchers from Toronto-based St. Michael's Hospital and the University of Toronto identified Web-accessible tools by searching the medical literature databases CINAHL, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, EMBASE and Medline. Researchers used the following search words:
- Computer-based;
- Diabetes;
- Hypertension;
- Internet;
- Online;
- Smoking cessation; and
- Weight reduction.
Researchers also selected the first 30 results for certain preselected phrases searched in Google.
The researchers identified 92 Web tools and 57 associated studies. They graded each tool's clinical usefulness and sustainability using a scale of zero to five, and they used a set of 27 criteria to measure usability.
The researchers identified 92 Web tools and 57 associated studies. They graded each tool's clinical usefulness and sustainability using a scale of zero to five, and they used a set of 27 criteria to measure usability.
Key Findings
The researchers determined that:
- 60% of the tools had at least three usability errors;
- 25% of the tools provided easily accessible and clinically useful answers most of the time; and
- 6% had no usability errors.
The researchers also noted high rates of inconsistent use of the tools, which could limit the tools' value. Based on the findings, the researchers recommended that future research determine ways to reduce inconsistent use of such tools and to standardize website quality indicators (Gale, CMIO, 1/12).