{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,12]],"date-time":"2025-11-12T07:05:20Z","timestamp":1762931120257,"version":"3.45.0"},"reference-count":49,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"22","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,11]],"date-time":"2025-11-11T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1762819200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["JCM"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic inflammatory disorder characterized by recurrent nodules, abscesses, and sinus tracts in apocrine gland-bearing areas. Surgery plays a key role in moderate-to-severe disease. As patients increasingly rely on the internet for decision-making, the quality of online information on HS surgery requires critical evaluation. Previous studies have shown poor quality and limited coverage of surgical aspects. This study systematically assesses publicly available websites on the surgical and reconstructive management of HS, quantifies their quality using the modified Ensuring Quality Information for Patients (mEQIP) tool, and identifies areas needing improvement to support informed decisions. Methods: Google, Bing, and Yahoo were searched using five HS surgery-related keywords. The first 50 results per keyword and engine were collected (n = 750), and 214 websites met the inclusion criteria. Sites were categorized by provenance (practitioners, hospitals, healthcare portals, professional societies, encyclopedias) and assessed using the 36-item mEQIP checklist. High quality was defined as \u226523\/36 (75th percentile). Comparisons were made by publication era (pre-\/post-COVID-19) and source type. Results: The mean mEQIP score was 21.7; only 51 websites (23.8%) met the high-quality threshold. No significant difference emerged between pre- and post-COVID publications. Healthcare portals scored highest (22.8), followed by practitioners (21.5) and hospital sites (21.2); professional societies (19.7) and encyclopedias (17.3) performed worst. Major deficiencies included limited discussion of surgical risks, quality-of-life outcomes, and postoperative care. Conclusions: Online resources on HS surgery are frequently incomplete and omit essential details on risks, recurrence, and reconstructive options. Surgeons should direct patients toward vetted sources, and professional societies should develop accessible, evidence-based patient guidelines.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/jcm14227990","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,11]],"date-time":"2025-11-11T12:44:55Z","timestamp":1762865095000},"page":"7990","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Quality of Online Patient Information on Surgical Management of Hidradenitis Suppurativa: A Comprehensive Assessment Using the mEQIP Tool"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"14","author":[{"given":"Marco","family":"Marcasciano","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, University \u201cMagna Gr\u00e6cia\u201d of Catanzaro, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0003-8808-1190","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Martina","family":"Astolfi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Azienda Ospedaliera \u201cGaetano Martino\u201d of Messina, University of Messina, 98124 Messina, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Medea","family":"Pintaudi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Azienda Ospedaliera \u201cGaetano Martino\u201d of Messina, University of Messina, 98124 Messina, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Emanuele","family":"Vittori","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Azienda Ospedaliera \u201cGaetano Martino\u201d of Messina, University of Messina, 98124 Messina, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Giuseppe Antonio","family":"D\u2019Amico","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Azienda Ospedaliera \u201cGaetano Martino\u201d of Messina, University of Messina, 98124 Messina, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7095-2010","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Alessia","family":"Pagnotta","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Hand and Microsurgery Unit, Jewish Hospital, 00186 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Luigi","family":"Bennardo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Science of Health Department, School of Medicine, University Magna Graecia, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Michele Rosario","family":"Colonna","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Azienda Ospedaliera \u201cGaetano Martino\u201d of Messina, University of Messina, 98124 Messina, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3828-0883","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Steven Paul","family":"Nistic\u00f2","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Dermatology, Policlinico Umberto I, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Manfredi","family":"Greco","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Unit, \u201cSanta Maria Goretti\u201d Hospital, Sapienza University of Rome, 04100 Latina, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,11]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2019","DOI":"10.1001\/jama.2017.16691","article-title":"Hidradenitis Suppurativa: Advances in Diagnosis and Treatment","volume":"318","author":"Saunte","year":"2017","journal-title":"JAMA"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"990","DOI":"10.1111\/bjd.19435","article-title":"The epidemiology of hidradenitis suppurativa","volume":"183","author":"Ingram","year":"2020","journal-title":"Br. 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