consumer health information web sites: the state of the art
DESCRIPTION
Consumer Health Information Web Sites: the State of the Art. A snapshot analysis of Consumer Health web sites. Andrea M. Ketchum, MLIS, AHIP University of Pittsburgh Health Sciences Library System May 24, 2004. Background. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
![Page 1: Consumer Health Information Web Sites: the State of the Art](https://reader034.vdocuments.us/reader034/viewer/2022051821/56814f7c550346895dbd2bc3/html5/thumbnails/1.jpg)
Consumer Health Information Web Sites: the State of the Art
A snapshot analysis of Consumer Health web sites
Andrea M. Ketchum, MLIS, AHIPUniversity of Pittsburgh Health Sciences Library SystemMay 24, 2004
![Page 2: Consumer Health Information Web Sites: the State of the Art](https://reader034.vdocuments.us/reader034/viewer/2022051821/56814f7c550346895dbd2bc3/html5/thumbnails/2.jpg)
Background• Preparation for update and redesign of HSLS
Consumer Health Information web site. • Literature search found no previous analyses• Survey performed to
– Identify prevalent format and content of existing sites
– Brainstorm
– Clarify goals for redesign
![Page 3: Consumer Health Information Web Sites: the State of the Art](https://reader034.vdocuments.us/reader034/viewer/2022051821/56814f7c550346895dbd2bc3/html5/thumbnails/3.jpg)
MethodsSurvey of 33 Consumer Health web sites• Google search
– University AND “Consumer Health Information” – 33 web sites selected from first 10 pages
• Academic centers• Public libraries• Hospital libraries
• 16 US states and Canada represented• Snapshot date: November 6, 2002 • Web sites analyzed for
– Structure – Content
![Page 4: Consumer Health Information Web Sites: the State of the Art](https://reader034.vdocuments.us/reader034/viewer/2022051821/56814f7c550346895dbd2bc3/html5/thumbnails/4.jpg)
33 Consumer Health Information Web Sites
• Aetna, InteliHealth: Harvard Medical School's Consumer Health Information http://www.intelihealth.com/
• Arizona Health Sciences Library, Consumer Health - MultFind Results http://www.ahsl.arizona.edu
• Augustus C. Long Health Sciences Library, Columbia University, Consumer Medicine http://cpmcnet.columbia.edu/library/subguides/consumer.html
• Charlottesville (VA) Community Web, Consumer Health http://hsc.virginia.edu/hs-library/outreach/consumer.html
• Chautauqua-Cattaraugus Library System, Consumer Health http://www.cclslib.org/consumerhealth.html
• Cooper Health System, Medical Library http://cooperhealth.medicallibrary.medem.com/medlib_entry.cfm?m1=http://cooperhealth&flag=geturl
• Crozer-Keystone Health System, Crozer-Keystone Virtual Library http://www.crozer.org/Crozer/Health+Information/default.htm
![Page 5: Consumer Health Information Web Sites: the State of the Art](https://reader034.vdocuments.us/reader034/viewer/2022051821/56814f7c550346895dbd2bc3/html5/thumbnails/5.jpg)
• Dartmouth Biomedical Libraries, Consumer Health Resources http://www.dartmouth.edu/~biomed/resources.htmld/conshealth.htmld/
• Duke University Medical Center Library, Consumer/Patient Health Information http://www.mclibrary.duke.edu/respub/refres/consumer.html
• Emory Health Sciences Center Library, Emory MedWeb Subject Index for Consumer Health http://www.medweb.emory.edu/MedWeb
• Exempla Lutheran Medical Center, Consumer Health Libraries http://www.saintjosephdenver.org/yourhealth/libraries/
• Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library/ New Haven Free Public Library, Consumer Health Information Network http://www.nhfpl.lib.ct.us/healthnetwork/
• Indiana University School of Law, Consumer Information http://www.iulaw.indy.indiana.edu/programs/CLH/consumerinfo.htm
• Indiana University School of Medicine, Consumer Health http://www.medlib.iupui.edu/ref/consumer.html
• Lane Medical Library, Stanford University Medical Center, Consumer Health http://lane.stanford.edu/toolkits/consumer.html
• Loyola University, Consumer Health http://libraries.luc.edu/cfpages/subjectpg.cfm?sid=52
![Page 6: Consumer Health Information Web Sites: the State of the Art](https://reader034.vdocuments.us/reader034/viewer/2022051821/56814f7c550346895dbd2bc3/html5/thumbnails/6.jpg)
• McGill University, Selected Consumer Health Resources http://www.health.library.mcgill.ca/resource/consumer.htm
• McMaster University Health Sciences Library, Health Care Information Resources http://www-hsl.mcmaster.ca/tomflem/top.html
• National Network of Libraries of Medicine, New England Region, Consumer Health Information http://www.nnlm.nlm.nih.gov/ner/ConsumerHealth.html
• Northern Virginia Community College Libraries, Consumer Health Resources http://www.nvcc.edu/library/BOW/elechealth.htm
• partnership: U of Cincinnati, OSU, Case Western Reserve, NetWellness Consumer Health Information http://netwellness.org/
• Robert W. Woodruff Health Sciences Center Library of Emory University, Consumer Health Resources http://www.emory.edu/WHSCL/REFERENCE/consumerhlth.htm
• University of California Davis Health Sciences Libraries, Consumer Health Resources http://www.lib.ucdavis.edu/healthsci/conshealth.html
• University of Iowa, Virtual Hospital Information for Patients - Iowa Health Book http://www.vh.org/Patients/Patients.html
• University of Iowa, Hardin Meta Directory of Internet Health Sources http://www.lib.uiowa.edu/hardin/md/index.html
![Page 7: Consumer Health Information Web Sites: the State of the Art](https://reader034.vdocuments.us/reader034/viewer/2022051821/56814f7c550346895dbd2bc3/html5/thumbnails/7.jpg)
• University of Maryland Health Sciences and Human Services Library, Consumer Health Links http://www.hshsl.umaryland.edu/resources/consumer/
• University of Maryland Libraries, Consumer Health http://www.lib.umd.edu/MCK/GUIDES/consumer_health.html
• University of Toronto, Patient and Consumers http://www.stmichaelshospital.com/content/programs/hslibrary/consumerhomepage.asp
• University of Wisconsin-Madison Health Sciences Libraries, Consumer Health and Medical Information http://www.medsch.wisc.edu/chslib/consumer/
• Utah Library Association, Utah Consumer Health Information Network http://www.ula.org/organization/rt/heart/heart-uchin.htm
• VCU Libraries, Virginia Commonwealth University, Consumer Health Resources http://www.library.vcu.edu/tml/bibs/consumer.html
• Washington Hospital Healthcare System, Washington Community Health Resource Library http://www.healthlibrary.org
• Yale University Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library, Consumer Health Resources http://www.med.yale.edu/library/consumer/
![Page 8: Consumer Health Information Web Sites: the State of the Art](https://reader034.vdocuments.us/reader034/viewer/2022051821/56814f7c550346895dbd2bc3/html5/thumbnails/8.jpg)
Structure Fields (33 sites surveyed)Columns 33
Site Search 22
Index = Links 21
Organized by Resource Type 20
Scroll One Page 19
Site Index in Border 15
Organized by Subject 13
Site Map/Guide 6
Tables 4
Navigation Tabs 2
Structure and Content Analysis
![Page 9: Consumer Health Information Web Sites: the State of the Art](https://reader034.vdocuments.us/reader034/viewer/2022051821/56814f7c550346895dbd2bc3/html5/thumbnails/9.jpg)
Content Fields (33 sites surveyed)List of Links 32 Ask a Librarian 6
Contact Information 26 Today’s Date 5
Last Update 18 Quality Tips 4
Disclaimer 16 Non-English Language 3
Medical News 12 Search Tips 2
Alternative Medicine 12 Ask the Doc 2
Demographic Groups 10 Commercial Affiliation 2
Guides 9 Referral Service 2
Privacy Statement 7 Interactive Tools 1
![Page 10: Consumer Health Information Web Sites: the State of the Art](https://reader034.vdocuments.us/reader034/viewer/2022051821/56814f7c550346895dbd2bc3/html5/thumbnails/10.jpg)
Most Common Features
Top 5 Structure Features• Columns• Site search• Index = Links (internal or external)
• Organized by resource type• Scrolling one page
Top 5 Content Features• List of links• Contact information• Last update notice• Disclaimer• Medical News
![Page 11: Consumer Health Information Web Sites: the State of the Art](https://reader034.vdocuments.us/reader034/viewer/2022051821/56814f7c550346895dbd2bc3/html5/thumbnails/11.jpg)
Most Common Structure
Site Search
![Page 12: Consumer Health Information Web Sites: the State of the Art](https://reader034.vdocuments.us/reader034/viewer/2022051821/56814f7c550346895dbd2bc3/html5/thumbnails/12.jpg)
Most Common Structure
Index = Links
![Page 13: Consumer Health Information Web Sites: the State of the Art](https://reader034.vdocuments.us/reader034/viewer/2022051821/56814f7c550346895dbd2bc3/html5/thumbnails/13.jpg)
Most Common Structure
Organized by Resource Type
![Page 14: Consumer Health Information Web Sites: the State of the Art](https://reader034.vdocuments.us/reader034/viewer/2022051821/56814f7c550346895dbd2bc3/html5/thumbnails/14.jpg)
Most Common Structure
Scroll one page
![Page 15: Consumer Health Information Web Sites: the State of the Art](https://reader034.vdocuments.us/reader034/viewer/2022051821/56814f7c550346895dbd2bc3/html5/thumbnails/15.jpg)
Most Common Content
Lists of Links
![Page 16: Consumer Health Information Web Sites: the State of the Art](https://reader034.vdocuments.us/reader034/viewer/2022051821/56814f7c550346895dbd2bc3/html5/thumbnails/16.jpg)
Most Common Content
Contact Information
![Page 17: Consumer Health Information Web Sites: the State of the Art](https://reader034.vdocuments.us/reader034/viewer/2022051821/56814f7c550346895dbd2bc3/html5/thumbnails/17.jpg)
Most Common Content
Last Update
![Page 18: Consumer Health Information Web Sites: the State of the Art](https://reader034.vdocuments.us/reader034/viewer/2022051821/56814f7c550346895dbd2bc3/html5/thumbnails/18.jpg)
Most Common Content
Disclaimer
![Page 19: Consumer Health Information Web Sites: the State of the Art](https://reader034.vdocuments.us/reader034/viewer/2022051821/56814f7c550346895dbd2bc3/html5/thumbnails/19.jpg)
Most Common Content
Medical News
![Page 20: Consumer Health Information Web Sites: the State of the Art](https://reader034.vdocuments.us/reader034/viewer/2022051821/56814f7c550346895dbd2bc3/html5/thumbnails/20.jpg)
Least Common Features
Bottom 5 Structure Features
• Site Index Border • Organized by Subject • Site map/guide • Tables • Navigation Tabs
Bottom 5 Content Features
• Search tips • Ask the Doc • Commercial ads • Referral service • Interactive tools
![Page 21: Consumer Health Information Web Sites: the State of the Art](https://reader034.vdocuments.us/reader034/viewer/2022051821/56814f7c550346895dbd2bc3/html5/thumbnails/21.jpg)
Least Common Structure
Site Index Border
![Page 22: Consumer Health Information Web Sites: the State of the Art](https://reader034.vdocuments.us/reader034/viewer/2022051821/56814f7c550346895dbd2bc3/html5/thumbnails/22.jpg)
Least Common Structure
Organized by Subject
![Page 23: Consumer Health Information Web Sites: the State of the Art](https://reader034.vdocuments.us/reader034/viewer/2022051821/56814f7c550346895dbd2bc3/html5/thumbnails/23.jpg)
Least Common Structure
Site Map/Guide
![Page 24: Consumer Health Information Web Sites: the State of the Art](https://reader034.vdocuments.us/reader034/viewer/2022051821/56814f7c550346895dbd2bc3/html5/thumbnails/24.jpg)
Least Common Structure
Tables
![Page 25: Consumer Health Information Web Sites: the State of the Art](https://reader034.vdocuments.us/reader034/viewer/2022051821/56814f7c550346895dbd2bc3/html5/thumbnails/25.jpg)
Least Common Structure
Navigation Tabs
![Page 26: Consumer Health Information Web Sites: the State of the Art](https://reader034.vdocuments.us/reader034/viewer/2022051821/56814f7c550346895dbd2bc3/html5/thumbnails/26.jpg)
Least Common Content:
Search Tips
![Page 27: Consumer Health Information Web Sites: the State of the Art](https://reader034.vdocuments.us/reader034/viewer/2022051821/56814f7c550346895dbd2bc3/html5/thumbnails/27.jpg)
Least Common Content
Ask the Doc
![Page 28: Consumer Health Information Web Sites: the State of the Art](https://reader034.vdocuments.us/reader034/viewer/2022051821/56814f7c550346895dbd2bc3/html5/thumbnails/28.jpg)
Least Common Content
Commercial Ads
![Page 29: Consumer Health Information Web Sites: the State of the Art](https://reader034.vdocuments.us/reader034/viewer/2022051821/56814f7c550346895dbd2bc3/html5/thumbnails/29.jpg)
Least Common Content
Referral Services
![Page 30: Consumer Health Information Web Sites: the State of the Art](https://reader034.vdocuments.us/reader034/viewer/2022051821/56814f7c550346895dbd2bc3/html5/thumbnails/30.jpg)
Least Common Content
Interactive Tools
![Page 31: Consumer Health Information Web Sites: the State of the Art](https://reader034.vdocuments.us/reader034/viewer/2022051821/56814f7c550346895dbd2bc3/html5/thumbnails/31.jpg)
Columbia UniversityAugustus C. Long Health Sciences Library
EXAMPLE: Most Common Structure
Index=Links
Site SearchOrganized by Resource Type
Scroll one page
Contact Info
Last Update
Content = List of Links
Columnar
![Page 32: Consumer Health Information Web Sites: the State of the Art](https://reader034.vdocuments.us/reader034/viewer/2022051821/56814f7c550346895dbd2bc3/html5/thumbnails/32.jpg)
Organized by subject
Site Index Border
Ask a doc
EXAMPLE: Least Typical Structure and Content
Interactive Tools
Advertisments
![Page 33: Consumer Health Information Web Sites: the State of the Art](https://reader034.vdocuments.us/reader034/viewer/2022051821/56814f7c550346895dbd2bc3/html5/thumbnails/33.jpg)
Summary• Most common design was a 1-page, columnar
scrolling list of external and internal links organized by resource type, with site search, contact information, last update notice, and disclaimer. Simple maintenance suspected.
• Least common design included interactive tools, referral services, search tips, advertisements, navigation tabs and a site map in a more complex layout, organized by subject: a commercial look. Time-consuming maintenance suspected.
• Medical News and Alternative Medicine were the most frequent specialized topics.
![Page 34: Consumer Health Information Web Sites: the State of the Art](https://reader034.vdocuments.us/reader034/viewer/2022051821/56814f7c550346895dbd2bc3/html5/thumbnails/34.jpg)
Most Surprising Find
• 61% organized by Resource Type– Directories, Web sites, etc.
• Only 39% organized by Subject
![Page 35: Consumer Health Information Web Sites: the State of the Art](https://reader034.vdocuments.us/reader034/viewer/2022051821/56814f7c550346895dbd2bc3/html5/thumbnails/35.jpg)
Lessons Learned• A survey of current web sites provides inspiration as well as a
menu of possible design and content features. • Borrow the visual interest and navigational flexibility from web
sites with a more commercial design (Intelihealth) and combine with the simplicity of academic library sites.
• Add interest with photos and other illustrations.• Provide access to as much content as possible from the front
page.– Build site map into front page, through layered subject outline.– Border menus, navigation tabs add interest and search flexibility
• External news sources address current medical concerns and should be available for reference online.
• Keep text simple, clear, and avoid adjacent columns of text to enhance accessibility and assure compatibility with screen readers.
![Page 36: Consumer Health Information Web Sites: the State of the Art](https://reader034.vdocuments.us/reader034/viewer/2022051821/56814f7c550346895dbd2bc3/html5/thumbnails/36.jpg)
Putting it all together: HSLS Consumer Health Information
http://www.hsls.pitt.edu/guides/chi