Aims: 30-40% of individuals will be affected by varicose veins during their lifetime. Many will contemplate treatment and will access the (Inter)net for information. The aim of this study is to determine whether New Zealand-based websites are an accurate source of information for the public.
Methods: Inclusion criteria were New Zealand based websites that contained information on varicose vein treatments. These websites were identified using the search-engines Google and Yahoo. The first 60 websites from each were evaluated and subdivided into 4 groups based on web-site ownership: (1) Vein clinic/hospital; (2) Appearance medicine; (3) Online stores; (4) Health editorials; and (5) Medical resources.
Results: 46 of the 120 websites satisfied the inclusion criteria. 18 websites (39%) explained what varicose veins were. Information about treatment options was most comprehensive in the "Vein clinic/hospital" group. The "Appearance medicine" group mostly contained information on outpatient interventional therapies. "Health editorial" sites had lifestyle modification options. All the online herbal/health stores mentioned herbal treatment options.
Conclusion: Few websites fully informed patients about treatment options while some simply advertised non-evidence based treatments. This study suggests that the Internet is not a reliable source of information and does not accurately inform patients about varicose veins and the treatment options.
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