Women's autonomy and the evaluation of the information available on the Internet on hormone therapy after menopause

Comput Inform Nurs. 2006 Jul-Aug;24(4):226-34. doi: 10.1097/00024665-200607000-00010.

Abstract

This study was designed to examine the information in Spanish, provided by different Web sites, related to hormone therapy and climacteric symptoms. Web sites evaluated included those belonging to government and scientific institutions and to a miscellaneous group. In Web sites in Spanish, there was more extensive information on the benefits of hormone therapy than there were on other items. The Web sites of governmental institutions provided significantly more information on the risks (P < .01) and benefits (P = .02) of hormone therapy than did the other sites. Governmental institutions from the United States, unlike those from Spain, did not make recommendations regarding when hormone therapy should be considered and instead emphasized the woman's decision. The variability of information in Spanish on hormone therapy and postmenopausal symptoms presented on the Internet is related to the organization responsible for the Web site. Besides, cultural differences in the concept of patient autonomy could partly explain the differences in emphasis made on women's role in the decision-making process.

Publication types

  • Evaluation Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Evidence-Based Medicine
  • Female
  • Hormone Replacement Therapy* / adverse effects
  • Hormone Replacement Therapy* / psychology
  • Hormone Replacement Therapy* / standards
  • Humans
  • Information Services / standards*
  • Information Storage and Retrieval
  • Internet / standards*
  • Patient Participation / psychology
  • Postmenopause* / drug effects
  • Postmenopause* / physiology
  • Postmenopause* / psychology
  • Risk Factors
  • Safety
  • Spain
  • Women / education
  • Women / psychology
  • Women's Health
  • Women's Rights