Accuracy and Reliability of German Websites for Information on Monoclonal Gammopathy of Undetermined Significance

Background: Monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) is a clonal, premalignant plasma cell or B-cell disorder. MGUS patients often seek disease-related information online. However, the quality of online resources available for MGUS is questionable. Method(s): The quality of 900 German websites from Google, Bing, and Yahoo was evaluated. Result(s): The websites did not differ regarding their search rank or between the search engines. The 83 unique websites showed a medium to poor general quality (median JAMA score 3 of maximum 4 points, only 4% websites with a valid HON certificate). The patient- (user-) focused quality was poor (median sum DISCERN score 24 of maximum 80 points). The reading level was very difficult (29 of maximum 100 points according to the Flesch Reading Ease score). The content level was very low (11 of maximum 50 points). 23% of websites contained misleading/wrong facts. Websites provided by scientific/governmental organizations had a higher content level compared to websites provided by foundation/advocacy or news/media. Discussion(s): Similar previously published analyses often focus on otorhinolaryngology- related topics, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, SARSCoV- 2 or neurological disorders. Precancerous conditions and cancer entities were rarely in the focus of such evaluations. This study was performed in a reproducible and objective score-based manner, applying a set of well-established scores covering the aspects of general, patient- (user-) focused quality, and MGUS-related content. Conclusion(s): MGUS-relevant online sources showed low general and patient-focused quality and poor content. Information is provided on a high reading level. Incorporation of quality indices and regular review of content is warranted.

How Difficult Is It for Managers to Predict Their Future Business Development? A New Measure of Perceived Business Uncertainty

This article introduces the ifo Business Uncertainty, a measure of how difficult it is for managers to predict the future business development of their firm. The indicator is based on a new monthly question in a representative survey of the German economy, the ifo Business Survey. It captures the perceived uncertainty of managers, because it could affect their investment and hiring decisions, and thus the business cycle. We show that our new measure of perceived uncertainty increased sharply at the beginning of the Covid-19 crisis. Since then, it has decreased somewhat, but it remains at an elevated level. Moreover, we compare the ifo Business Uncertainty to a second indicator of firms' subjective uncertainty and find that they are almost perfectly aligned. Last, we show that the relationship of the ifo Business Uncertainty with the ifo Business Climate Index is strongly negative. © 2021. All Rights Reserved.