The Internet and the diabetic foot: quality of online information in French language.

UNLABELLED: The Internet has become a major source of health information for consumers. Nevertheless the quality of medical information varies widely and is generally poor. AIM: This study aimed to evaluate the quality of information delivered on French-speaking Internet about the diabetic foot. METHODS: Websites were selected using three popular search engines and introducing "foot+diabetes" and "foot+diabetic" as keywords. Two diabetologists independently evaluated the quality of information using a specially created scoring grid (range 0-52) based on acknowledged and published criteria with items relevant to general characteristics of the site and to information content. One hundred and twenty websites were selected but only 27 were included for analysis. RESULTS: Agreement between the two raters was close for global score and site content but lower for site characteristics. Averaged global score ranged from 8 to 44. Only five sites were assessed as very advisable with a score higher than 39; in contrast 18 sites were judged as not advisable at all (score lower than 26). CONCLUSION: This study, the first to be devoted to information about the diabetic foot on the Internet, clearly shows the variability and the general poor quality of information delivered by the great majority of French-speaking websites. Regulation organisms are urgently needed for checking and labelling public oriented health information in order to make the Internet a performing tool for patient information.

[French translation and cultural adaptation of the "Back Book"]. / Traduction française et adaptation culturelle du "Back Book"

OBJECTIVES: To develop an information booklet for French speaking low back pain patients, promoting staying active as a single treatment for low back pain. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A four-step procedure was used to obtain the information booklet. Selection of a booklet using a literature search and pre-defined criterias. Translation/back-translation technique with a method used for health-related quality of life cross-cultural adaptation method. Content validity assessment by a knowledge questionnaire submitted to 32 low back pain patients hospitalized for treatment and a review by two independent MD. Check accordance of the translated document with original authors and editor guidelines. RESULTS: The use of a standardized translation/back-translation procedure permitted to obtain a translation of the back book suitable for French patients. The significant improvement (P = 10(-6)) in patients' knowledge confirmed the quality of the translation. CONCLUSIONS: Translation and cultural adaptation of an information booklet should allow cross-cultural studies in the field of information for low back pain patients.