Inside Technology: Opening the Black Box of Health-Website Configuration and Content Management

Abstract

Given the existing divide related to Internet skills and types of Internet use, it is safe to assume that a large proportion of the population uses the Internet for health purposes in a partially productive fashion. We suggest that in addition to user characteristics, another factor that inhibits productive Internet use, and thus contributes to the existing gap, is related to the ways in which the technology is configured. The goal of this study was to explore the processes that webmasters and content managers use for constructing and producing, or selecting content, for health websites. Interviews conducted with 23 website builders and managers of websites that represent public and non-public health organizations revealed that they do not plan or conduct activities for content needs elicitation, either in the design stage or on an ongoing basis. Rather, these professionals rely on a "self-embodiment" standard, whereby their and their cohorts' expectations determine the quality and functionality of the websites' structure and content. Hence, target groups beyond their social sphere are disregarded, and instead of new opportunities, new cleavages are created. We recommended that government, public and non-public stakeholders work to establish construction standards, to ensure that health websites meet the needs of varied end-user populations.

A Novel Visual Recognition-basedAuthentication Model Using a Hybrid TrustTheme to Verify Provider Profilesfor Enhancing Information Assurancein Online Healthcare

“…While record numbers of U.S. adults are turning to the Internet to self-diagnose, seek treatment options and choose a physician, many people encounter a number of challenges. The inability to find accurate information [2], inconsistent advice or information [10,24], the inability to make sense of health information [3] and the psychological distress resulting from the information seeking process [4] are all examples of some of these challenges. For example, cyberchondria is the experience of heightened anxiety related to medical disorders resulting from OHI seeking [5].…”

“…Research in the area of OHI trusts suggest mistrust of websites is based on design factors, including the use of images [3] while trust of websites is based on content factors such as source credibility and personalization [10,24]. For example, [21] argues that consumers tend to trust sites with visual appeal and mistrust those with poor visual design.…”