Evaluating the quality of Websites related to Hospital-Based Home Care: The Credibility Indicator as a prognostic factor

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the documental quality of websites related to Home Care Services. Method: This is a descriptive cross-sectional study of websites based on Home Care Services, using searches on Google to access the study population. The “fallacy sample” of this search engine was take into account. The quality was studied thought the 8 variables of the Credibility Indicator (CI). Results: A total of 215 active websites, mainly belonging to the media, were evaluated. None of the websites met all 8 items in the CI. Mean of 2,12 ± 0,07; Minimum of 0 and Maximum of 5; Median equal to 3. Within the studied websites, 74 (34,42%) presented both authorship and affiliation. There was an association between the CI accomplishment and websites that had these 2 variables (p <0.001). Conclusions: The quality of websites covering issues of Hospital-Based Home Care services is still poor. It is confirmed that identifying authorship and affiliation is an important factor in predicting the quality of the information. The Credibility Indicator is a useful aid when determining the quality of a website.

Keywords

• Servicios de Atención a Domicilio Provisto por Hospital
• Comunicación en Salud
• Internet
• Control de Calidad
• Diseminación de Información