Evaluating Professionalism and Design of Dental Practice Websites

Abstract

Aims and objectives To develop an alternative evaluation checklist which is informed by Nichols and Hassall (2011) and illustrate how this can be applied to evaluate a random sample of dental practice websites on the basis of its usability, technical design and meeting professional standards and guidance mandated by a dental professional body. Materials and methods 104 dental practice websites were systematically selected from a major city in the UK and evaluated using the 11Ps (alternative evaluation checklist). A primary and secondary analysis (by a second rater) was conducted of all the websites ensuring results were accurate and that all questions in the checklist were answered. Results Of the dental practices considered, none met all the specifications in the 11 Ps Evaluation Checklist. Our results revealed the frequency of compliance to various professional standards were low such as presenting information to the practices’ complaint’s procedure. Conclusions Dental practices in the UK would benefit from further guidance on how to design their websites in alignment with professional guidance. Compliance to some obligatory professional standards were high, however, many professional guidelines were not adhered to. Our proposed 11 P’s evaluation checklist can be further adapted for an in-depth assessment with consideration to professional standards, usability, and technical design.