Consumer Perspectives on Quality Attributes in Evaluating Health Websites

Healthcare consumers are increasingly turning to the Internet for health information. Health website sponsors and developers are challenged to ensure high quality to satisfy the spectrum of site visitors. Yet, research does not seem to provide needed guidance from the perspective of the healthcare consumer. In response, this study provides a taxonomy of website quality attributes and explores differences in ratings of the importance of 15 quality attributes of health websites from healthcare consumers. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were deployed to collect the data.

[1]  Sue Childs,et al.  Developing health website quality assessment guidelines for the voluntary sector: outcomes from the Judge Project. , 2004, Health information and libraries journal.

[2]  Robert L. Wears,et al.  Health information technology: fallacies and sober realities , 2010, J. Am. Medical Informatics Assoc..

[3]  Dave Roberts,et al.  Designing for the User with OVID: Bridging the Gap Between Software Engineering and User Interface Design , 1998 .

[4]  J. Gaugler,et al.  A Systematic Evaluation of Online Resources for Dementia Caregivers , 2009 .

[5]  Kristian Daneback,et al.  Parenthood, information and support on the internet. A literature review of research on parents and professionals online , 2009, BMC family practice.

[6]  J. Powell,et al.  Empirical studies assessing the quality of health information for consumers on the world wide web: a systematic review. , 2002, JAMA.

[7]  Elizabeth Sillence,et al.  Going online for health advice: Changes in usage and trust practices over the last five years , 2007, Interact. Comput..

[8]  Christian Köhler,et al.  How do consumers search for and appraise health information on the world wide web? Qualitative study using focus groups, usability tests, and in-depth interviews , 2002, BMJ : British Medical Journal.

[9]  Elizabeth Sillence,et al.  Trust and mistrust of online health sites , 2004, CHI.

[10]  Holly Witteman,et al.  Measuring the Impact of a Moving Target: Towards a Dynamic Framework for Evaluating Collaborative Adaptive Interactive Technologies , 2009, Journal of medical Internet research.

[11]  Joanna Abraham,et al.  A study of undue pain and surfing: using hierarchical criteria to assess website quality , 2008, Health Informatics J..

[12]  K. Davies,et al.  The information-seeking behaviour of doctors: a review of the evidence. , 2007, Health information and libraries journal.

[13]  Amy M Bovi.  Use of Health-Related Online Sites , 2003, The American journal of bioethics : AJOB.

[14]  Besiki Stvilia,et al.  Disorderly reasoning in information design , 2009 .

[15]  Besiki Stvilia,et al.  A model for online consumer health information quality , 2009, J. Assoc. Inf. Sci. Technol..

[16]  Laurence Alpay,et al.  Current Challenge in Consumer Health Informatics: Bridging the Gap between Access to Information and Information Understanding , 2009, Biomedical informatics insights.

[17]  Paul Kim,et al.  Published criteria for evaluating health related web sites: review , 1999, BMJ.

[18]  H. Christensen,et al.  Website Quality Indicators for Consumers , 2005, Journal of medical Internet research.

[19]  M. Charlson,et al.  Is Internet Information Adequate to Facilitate Surgical Decision-Making in Familial Adenomatous Polyposis? , 2007, Diseases of the colon and rectum.

[20]  Ellen R. Tauber,et al.  Experts vs. Online Consumers: A Comparative Credibility Study of Health and Finance Web Sites , 2002 .

[21]  Richard T. Watson,et al.  Net-Based Customer Service Systems: Evolution and Revolution in Web Site Functionalities , 2004, Decis. Sci..

[22]  A. Parasuraman,et al.  Service quality delivery through web sites: A critical review of extant knowledge , 2002, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science.

[23]  Jay M Bernhardt,et al.  Online Pediatric Information Seeking Among Mothers of Young Children: Results From a Qualitative Study Using Focus Groups , 2004, Journal of medical Internet research.

[24]  Richard T. Sweeney.  Reinventing Library Buildings and Services for the Millennial Generation , 2005 .