Table 2.
Summary of DISCERN Instrument ratings by website category
| Section | SECTION 1 Is the publication reliable? | SECTION 2 How good is the quality of information on treatment choices? | SECTION 3 Overall Rating of Publication | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DISCERN Item | 1. Are the aims clear? | 2. Does it achieve its aims? | 3. Is it relevant? | 4. Is it clear what sources of information were used to compile the publication (other than the author or producer)? | 5. Is it clear when the information used or reported in the publication was produced? | 6. Is it balanced and unbiased? | 7. Does it provide details of additional sources of support and information? | 8. Does it refer to areas of uncertainty? | 9. Does it describe how each treatment works? | 10.Does it describe the benefits of each treatment? | 11. Does it describe the risks of each treatment? | 12. Does it describe what would happen if no treatment is used? | 13. Does it describe how the treatment choices affect overall quality of life? | 14. Is it clear that there may be more than one possible treatment choice? | 15. Does it provide support for shared decision-making? | 16. Based on the answers to all of the above questions, rate the overall quality of the publication as a source of information about treatment choices | Standard Deviation of Overall Score (Q16) | DISCERN Score (Sums of Q1-Q15) | |
|
Commercial (n = 41) |
Means | 4.35 | 4.40 | 3.87 | 1.87 | 1.98 | 1.94 | 2.32 | 1.48 | 2.44 | 4.82 | 1.61 | 1.04 | 1.16 | 2.18 | 2.55 | 2.17 | 0.42 | 37.99 |
| Standard Deviations | 0.78 | 0.72 | 0.71 | 1.25 | 0.92 | 0.90 | 1.71 | 0.92 | 1.03 | 0.37 | 0.77 | 0.13 | 0.36 | 0.93 | 1.25 | 0.77 | 0.35 | 7.86 | |
|
Other (n = 19) |
Means | 4.50 | 4.53 | 3.55 | 2.61 | 2.74 | 3.08 | 2.45 | 2.05 | 2.03 | 4.79 | 2.21 | 1.26 | 1.40 | 3.21 | 2.82 | 2.66 | 0.49 | 43.21 |
| Standard Deviations | 0.91 | 0.68 | 0.72 | 1.13 | 0.89 | 1.25 | 1.15 | 1.60 | 0.94 | 0.56 | 1.33 | 0.92 | 0.49 | 1.10 | 0.99 | 0.67 | 0.34 | 7.50 | |
|
Health Portal (n = 15) |
Means | 4.73 | 4.97 | 4.40 | 3.13 | 4.00 | 4.13 | 3.73 | 4.23 | 3.17 | 4.87 | 4.03 | 1.30 | 2.23 | 4.80 | 4.27 | 3.77 | 0.43 | 58.00 |
| Standard Deviations | 0.46 | 0.13 | 0.57 | 1.42 | 1.30 | 1.11 | 1.45 | 1.31 | 0.96 | 0.40 | 1.23 | 0.68 | 1.15 | 0.65 | 1.16 | 0.78 | 0.36 | 8.73 | |
|
News (n = 6) |
Means | 3.33 | 4.25 | 4.00 | 3.08 | 2.92 | 4.25 | 2.58 | 3.58 | 2.08 | 4.67 | 3.17 | 1.50 | 1.42 | 3.83 | 2.58 | 3.08 | 0.59 | 47.25 |
| Standard Deviations | 0.41 | 0.82 | 0.77 | 1.16 | 1.16 | 0.99 | 1.28 | 2.01 | 0.49 | 0.61 | 1.72 | 0.55 | 0.20 | 1.63 | 1.86 | 1.11 | 0.29 | 10.61 | |
|
Government (n = 3) |
Means | 5.00 | 5.00 | 4.83 | 3.00 | 4.00 | 4.33 | 4.00 | 5.00 | 3.17 | 5.00 | 4.83 | 2.33 | 3.83 | 5.00 | 5.00 | 4.17 | 0.71 | 64.33 |
| Standard Deviations | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.29 | 1.80 | 1.32 | 1.16 | 1.73 | 0.00 | 1.26 | 0.00 | 0.29 | 2.31 | 2.02 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.58 | 0.00 | 2.57 | |
|
Professional (n = 3) |
Means | 4.50 | 5.00 | 3.83 | 3.00 | 3.50 | 4.17 | 3.67 | 4.17 | 3.50 | 5.00 | 4.17 | 2.67 | 1.33 | 4.17 | 4.83 | 3.17 | 0.24 | 57.50 |
| Standard Deviations | 0.87 | 0.00 | 1.04 | 0.50 | 1.32 | 0.58 | 1.26 | 1.44 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 1.44 | 2.02 | 0.29 | 1.44 | 0.29 | 0.29 | 0.41 | 6.56 | |
| TOTAL Means | 4.41 | 4.56 | 3.93 | 2.41 | 2.68 | 2.89 | 2.71 | 2.44 | 2.51 | 4.82 | 2.47 | 1.26 | 1.51 | 3.14 | 3.07 | 2.72 | 0.45 | 44.80 | |
| TOTAL Standard Deviations | 0.79 | 0.66 | 0.75 | 1.33 | 1.27 | 1.40 | 1.60 | 1.72 | 1.03 | 0.42 | 1.50 | 0.80 | 0.88 | 1.43 | 1.42 | 0.99 | 0.34 | 11.53 | |
Note: DISCERN item scores range from 1 to 5. A score of 1 implies that the quality criterion has not been fulfilled at all, a score between 2 and 4 indicates partial fulfilment, and a score of 5 indicates that the quality criterion has been completely fulfilled. Overall summed DISCERN scores range from 15 to 75 and represent the overall quality of a website’s DHSs consumer health information for weight loss