An analysis of the information on the internet about the X-Stop spinal procedures was recently published in The Spine Journal to determine how public information online portrays controversy existing in the literature.
The researchers used Google, Yahoo and Bing to identify 105 websites with information about X-Stop, including YouTube videos. The researchers found private medical groups authored 43 percent of the websites. Four percent of the sites were authored by academic medical groups, 16 percent by insurance companies and 9 percent by the biomedical industry. The researchers also found 10 percent were authored by a news source.
The analysis covered whether the websites contained references to peer review literature; 56 percent of the private medical group websites included peer review literature and 33 percent reported exclusion criteria. There were benefits reported on 91 percent of the sites and complications reported on 23 percent of the sites.
Additionally, around 59 percent mentioned surgical options and 61 percent mentioned non-surgical options.
The authors concluded information on the internet was "incomplete and potentially misleading" because most websites did not inform consumers of the significant controversy existing within the literature about the safety and efficacy of the procedure. "This raises the concern that such information lends itself more toward patient recruitment than patient education. Medical professionals need to know how this may affect their patients' decision-making," concluded the authors.
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