The evaluation of consumer healthcare websites is an important step in assessing the overall appropriateness of the patient education information provided online. The evaluation should be conducted according to such criteria like accuracy, design, authors (sponsors), currency, and authority (Bastable, Gramet, Jacobs, & Sopczyk, 2011). The purpose of this paper is to provide the evaluation of the website by the Lupus Research Alliance and present the summary regarding its quality.
Accuracy
The purpose of the website is to provide information on lupus and initiatives to fund and support lupus research to improve the existing treatment (Lupus Research Alliance, 2018). Supportive data are provided, and they are from reputable sources, including findings of the latest studies in the field. Provided brochures are unique, but links and contacts mentioned in the resource center can be found on other websites. Still, the proposed information is comprehensive, and different points of view are presented through providing links to researchers’ scientific publications.
Design
The website is easy to navigate, but there are no markers or icons to state that it is Bobby Approved. The website was designed with care because all links work appropriately, and there are no typos and pages that represent errors or cannot be accessed. The information is categorized and presented according to the needs of the target audience to be easily found, accessed, and retrieved. Graphics are used for decorating and separating different categories of material.
Authors or Sponsors
The authors and sponsors of the website are identified with reference to the leadership and partners of the Lupus Research Alliance, and the credentials are related to the executive staff of this organization. To contact the authors, users can fill in the form on the website, use email and pages in social media. Furthermore, the website’s purpose is clearly identified on the home page, and there are no reasons for the authors to be biased regarding the topic as the goal is to support research on lupus (Lupus Research Alliance, 2018).
Currency
The recent creation date for the website is provided and can be easily found by users. There is also information on the recent and planned events and news that can be found on the home page of the website (Lupus Research Alliance, 2018). All links are clickable, and this information can be discussed as evidence of the website’s currency.
Authority
The website’s authors are credible because it is created by the Lupus Research Alliance as a private organization specializing in funding research on lupus. Contacts and the address of this organization are provided. As the website is oriented to informing the target audience on lupus, its symptoms, management, and progress in treatment, it is possible to state that the authors’ credentials are appropriate to address this website’s purpose.
Summary
The website by the Lupus Research Alliance can be recommended to healthcare consumers because it is easy to navigate, the provided information is reliable and valid, and individuals can not only find basic facts regarding their condition but also download brochures and find information on specialists to contact and organizations to address if more assistance is needed. However, discussing the literacy and readability of the website, it is important to note that the level is significantly higher (12th grade) than it is expected and recommended for such websites (6th-7th grades). Therefore, persons with a low literacy level can experience problems while reviewing and understanding the provided materials.
References
Bastable, S. B., Gramet, P., Jacobs, K., & Sopczyk, D. L. (2011). Health professional as educator: Principles of teaching and learning (4th ed.). Sudbury, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Lupus Research Alliance. (2018). Who we are: About the Lupus Research Alliance. Web.