Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 Jan 21;12(1):1-8.
doi: 10.9740/mhc.2022.01.001. eCollection 2022 Jan.

Assessing the understandability, actionability, and quality of online resources for the self-management of bipolar disorder

Nathan D Sutera  1 , Courtney A Iuppa  1   2   3   4   5   6   7 , Leigh Anne Nelson  2 , Carrie R Kriz  3 , Nicole A Gramlich  4 , Shelby E Lang  5 , Ellie S R Elliott  6 , Roger W Sommi  7
Affiliations

Assessing the understandability, actionability, and quality of online resources for the self-management of bipolar disorder

Nathan D Sutera et al. Ment Health Clin. .

Abstract

Introduction: This study aims to assess the understandability, actionability, and quality of online resources for the self-management (SM) of bipolar spectrum disorders in adults.

Methods: An online search using Google, Bing, and Yahoo! search engines was conducted to identify resources for bipolar disorder. Those that were published in English, discussed at least 1 method directed at improving an SM task, and were within the first 25 nonadvertisement results for each search were included. Resources directed specifically at adolescents were excluded. Understandability and actionability of the online resources were evaluated using the Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool (PEMAT). Quality of the online resources was evaluated using the DISCERN instrument. The number of SM tasks each resource discussed was also evaluated. Overall mean appropriateness was calculated by averaging the percentage scores of understandability, actionability, and quality.

Results: Fifty-two resources were included. The mean sample scores were 8.4 (SD, 2.1; range, 2-13; maximum, 15) for understandability, 2.2 (SD, 1.2; range, 0-4; maximum, 5) for actionability, and 46.1 (SD, 8.9; range, 30-57; maximum, 75) for quality. The overall mean appropriateness percentage was 53.5% (SD, 11.7%; range, 18%-77%), with a goal of at least 70%. Included resources addressed a mean of 7.1 tasks (SD, 2.5; range, 1-14; maximum, 20).

Discussion: Most online resources for the SM of bipolar disorder scored poorly for understandability and actionability based on PEMAT scores and had low to moderate scores for quality using the DISCERN instrument. Future online resources should be designed with the goal of increasing appropriateness for patients.

Keywords: Internet; actionability; bipolar disorder; quality; self-management; understandability.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Disclosures: The authors do not have a financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with 1 or more organizations that could be perceived as a real or apparent conflict of interest in the context of the subject of this study.

Figures

FIGURE
FIGURE
Overall percent appropriateness for included resources
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. National Institute of Mental Health [Internet] Bipolar disorder. 2017. [updated. Nov]. Available from: https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health.
    1. Dome P, Rihmer Z, Gonda X. Suicide risk in bipolar disorder: a brief review. Medicina (Kaunas) 2019;55(8):403. 10.3390/medicina55080403 PubMed PMID: 31344941 PubMed Central PMCID: PMC6723289. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Latalova K, Kamaradova D, Prasko J. Suicide in bipolar disorder: a review. Psychiatr Danub. 2014;26(2):108–14. PubMed PMID: 24909246. - PubMed
    1. Lingam R, Scott J. Treatment non-adherence in affective disorders. Acta Psychiatrica Scand. 2002;105(3):164–72. 10.1034/j.1600-0447.2002.1r084.x PubMed PMID: 11939969. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Blixen C, Perzynski AT, Bukach A, Howland M, Sajatovic M. Patients' perceptions of barriers to self-managing bipolar disorder: a qualitative study. Int J Soc Psychiatry. 2016;62(7):635–44. 10.1177/0020764016666572 PubMed PMID: 27647605 PubMed Central PMCID: PMC5578914. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources