A two-dimensional assessment of selected medical websites

Abstract

Two major dimensions are commonly used for assessing the breadth and depth of the information content in medical websites. The first dimension deals with quality characteristics consisting of authorship, attribution, confidentiality, currency, disclosure, legitimacy and purpose. Functional variables such as access to medical libraries, reference books, health organisations, information sites, guidelines and reviews, clinical trial sites, drug questions, locating an expert and alternative medicine make up the second dimension. The trend is toward the use of both dimensions for evaluating medical websites. This study examines the breadth and depth of the medical information in the websites of the top 51 medical schools in the USA. The results of this study indicate that there are certain quality-standard measures that are present in all medical websites. However, there are also clear distinctions in quality as well as functional attributes that separate the higher-ranked medical schools from the lower ones. Medical professionals, computer system developers, and end-users of medical information will find the results of this study useful.