Criteria for assessing the quality of information on health websites: a proposal

Authors

  • Ana Paula Bernardo Mendonça Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz).
  • André Pereira Neto Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz).

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.29397/reciis.v9i1.930

Keywords:

Internet, Health information to citizen, Certification, Evaluation

Abstract

The internet provides citizens with an immeasurable amount of information in all areas of knowledge. They are available without any evaluation. In health, this information may harm the citizen. The users must understand what they find online and believe that the information is true. The evaluation of quality of health information found on the internet is a problem that many institutions and researchers are seeking to solve. This article aims to present some criteria to evaluate the quality of information found on health sites. A research was conducted  to identify the main national and international instruments that have this purpose, then we have analyzed its application methods and compared the criteria adopted. As result eighty quality criteria of health websites were grouped into three dimensions: technical, content and design. We recommend that the health sites in Brazil can be certified by the development of a seal of quality.

Author Biographies

Ana Paula Bernardo Mendonça, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz).

Scholar Google

Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública Sergio Arouca, Programa de Pós Graduação em Saúde Pública: Mestrado Profissional em Política e Gestão de Ciência, Tecnologia e Inovação em Saúde (CT&I). Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.

André Pereira Neto, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz).

Scholar Google

Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública Sergio Arouca, Programa de Pós Graduação em Saúde Pública: Mestrado Profissional em Política e Gestão de Ciência, Tecnologia e Inovação em Saúde (CT&I). Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.

How to Cite

Mendonça, A. P. B., & Neto, A. P. (2015). Criteria for assessing the quality of information on health websites: a proposal. Revista Eletrônica De Comunicação, Informação & Inovação Em Saúde, 9(1). https://doi.org/10.29397/reciis.v9i1.930

Issue

Section

Original articles