![]() ![]() Sciamanna and his coauthors emphasize the importance of identifying the opportunity gap (the difference between what people are doing and what people are interested in doing on the Internet) when developing or expanding health-related activities for consumers and patients. For many, the Internet became the first and most important source of information. Technology changed the delivery of information and information-seeking behaviors. Providing such information on the Websites is a natural expansion of the libraries' and hospitals' services to patients and consumers. This overall lack of inclusion of the “Top Ten” would indicate that MLA needs to publicize this resource even more aggressively.ĭespite the differing missions between hospital and library Websites, the majority sought to provide basic consumer health information that was reliable and of high quality. Academic libraries, in particular, do not have core missions to provide an abundance of consumer health sites. In the library communities, Web developers used these sites sparingly. Lack of inclusion of the “Top Ten” by developers of hospital and library Websites may be due to a lack of awareness of this highly selective but reputable list, especially among hospital Website coordinators. The most frequently used were MEDLINEplus, healthfinder, and the Centers for Disease Control ( Figure 4). Only one Website out of the forty-nine examined incorporated all ten. Surprisingly, MLA's “Top Ten” most useful Websites were not widely incorporated. Their sites usually put more emphasis on content than graphics. Library communities frequently do not have the same level of financial support for Websites and do not employ full-time Web developers. ![]() Packaging of the content with appropriate graphics appeals to the consumer and can be used skillfully for directing users to resources and services. In the hospital environment, Websites are often part of the overall marketing effort and receive emphasis and funding. Health sciences libraries and state libraries did not incorporate those types of resources in their sites. Others included Animated Health Library, healthwise, HealthGate, My MD.com, ehc.com, and Adam. The most popular were HealthVision and Cerner Multum. Among the hospital Websites, thirteen of twenty-five (52%) used fee-based, commercially prepared resources. ![]() This practice differentiated significantly from hospital sites, which were frequently noted for their professionally packaged formats. Library Websites were characterized by a format of listing free sites using a very plain layout lacking graphics. Other libraries and smaller hospitals do have quality sites, and these may have been omitted based on the selection criteria.Ī trend was noted by the authors among the hospital Websites. The authors selected the largest VA hospital, assuming that it would be representative of the other three, and then added the next four largest non-VA hospitals. In that state, the first four of the largest eight were Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) hospitals. The five largest hospitals were selected in each state, with the exception of Texas. The authors thought that hospitals with the largest number of beds would have the financial resources, technological support, and corporate missions to develop Websites with consumer health information. The hospital Websites were selected based on bed size as provided in the 2002–03 American Hospital Association Guide to the Health Care Field. † This group of libraries was selected based on the assumption that they would be leaders, setting the standard for developing portions of their Websites devoted to consumer health. The authors consulted the Website of the National Network of Libraries of Medicine, South Central Region, and selected the sixteen resource libraries and the three access libraries. The forty-nine Websites represented resource and access libraries, state libraries, and hospitals ( Figure 1). Forty-nine Websites in the five-state area (Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Texas) comprising the South Central Chapter Region of the Medical Library Association (MLA) were analyzed. Hospital and library Websites were chosen to determine the availability, type, and quality of health information. ![]()
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