Inflammatory bowel disease: An evaluation of health information on the internet

Table 3 Grouping the websites on inflammatory bowel disease included in the study under five categories

Category	Number	DISCERN score		HONcode score
		mean ± SD6	95%CI for means	mean ± SD7	95%CI for means
Universities and Research Centers1	25	41.3 ± 11.3	36.6-45.9	0.46 ± 0.20	0.37-0.54
Foundations and Associations2	15	44.5 ± 10.5	38.6-50.2	0.53 ± 0.16	0.44-0.62
Commercial and Pharmaceutical Companies3	25	40.4 ± 10.1	36.3-44.6	0.44 ± 0.18	0.36-0.52
Charities and Volunteer work4	9	40.2 ± 11.9	31.0-49.4	0.39 ± 0.17	0.26-0.52
Non-university Educational Bodies5	10	46.7 ± 9.7	39.7-53-6	0.63 ± 0.20	0.48-0.76
Total	84	42.1 ± 10.7	39.8-44.5	0.48 ± 0.19	0.44-0.52

¹This category includes university-affiliated centers, state hospitals, national or state research centers;

²This category includes gastroenterological societies, foundations, and associations- most were on inflammatory bowel disease, Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis;

³This category includes industrial bodies, commercial and pharmaceutical companies aiming at serving the community and patients with inflammatory bowel disease;

⁴This category includes charities and websites created by individuals, or groups;

⁵This category includes all other non-university educational bodies including colleges, academies, councils, WebMed, etc.;

⁶The DISCERN scores were not significantly different between the groups as per ANOVA (combined, P = 0.472) or (linear term, P = 0.475);

⁷The HONcode scores were significantly different between the groups as per ANOVA (combined, P = 0.041). The linear term, P = 0.228.