It was with great interest that we read “Online Information About the Effectiveness
of Shoulder Surgery Is Not Based on the Best Available Evidence: A Content Analysis”
by Andrew Robertson et al.
1
This author team has a long and distinguished record of advocating for evidence-based
practice. Like others in previous studies,
2
,
3
,
4
,
5
the authors evaluated the overall accuracy of internet websites against current available
evidence. Their study summarized the proportion of consumer webpages (from an Australian-based
search domain) on subacromial decompression and rotator cuff repair operations that
make an accurate portrayal of the benefits and harms, alternatives to surgery, and
additional recommendations.List of abbreviations:
ACCC (Australian Competition and Consumer Commission), DTC (direct-to-consumer)To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
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References
- Online information about the effectiveness of shoulder surgery is not based on the best available evidence: a content analysis.Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2021 Jun 12; ([Epub ahead of print])
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World Health Organization. Direct-to-consumer advertising under fire. Available at: https://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/87/8/09-040809/en/. Accessed April 23, 2021.
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- Subacromial decompression surgery for rotator cuff disease.Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2019; 1CD005619
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- Analysis of internet information on lateral lumbar interbody fusion.Orthopedics. 2016; 39: e701-e707
Federal Trade Commission. Online advertising and marketing. Available at: https://www.ftc.gov/tips-advice/business-center/advertising-and-marketing/online-advertising-and-marketing. Accessed: April 23, 2021.
Australian Competition and Consumer Commission. About the ACCC. Available at: https://www.accc.gov.au/about-us/australian-competition-consumer-commission/about-the-accc. Accessed April 23, 2021.
Australian Competition and Consumer Commission. Advertising and selling guide. Available at: https://www.accc.gov.au/accc-book/printer-friendly/29527. Accessed April 23, 2021.
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- The limitations of using randomised controlled trials as a basis for developing treatment guidelines.Evid Based Ment Health. 2018; 21: 4-6
- The natural course of nonoperatively treated rotator cuff tears: an 8.8-year follow-up of tear anatomy and clinical outcome in 49 patients.J Shoulder Elbow Surg. 2017; 26: 627-634
- Tear progression of symptomatic full-thickness and partial-thickness rotator cuff tears as measured by repeated MRI.Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc. 2017; 25: 2073-2080
- At a 10-year follow-up, tendon repair is superior to physiotherapy in the treatment of small and medium-sized rotator cuff tears.J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2019; 101: 1050-1060
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- Conservative management vs. surgical repair in degenerative rotator cuff tears: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci. 2021; 25: 609-619
Article info
Publication history
Published online: June 12, 2021
Accepted:
April 29,
2021
Received:
April 27,
2021
Footnotes
Disclosures: Oke Anakwenze is a consultant for Lima Orthopedics, Exactech, Wright Medical, and DJO, but this does not influence his thoughts associated with this commentary. Chad E. Cook receives honoraria from books sales and educational videos and is a consultant for Revenite and the Hawkins Foundation, but this does not influence his thoughts associated with this commentary.
Identification
Copyright
© 2021 The American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
