The Quality of Infectious Disease Hospital Websites in Poland in Light of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

The quality of healthcare service websites gains particular importance in the time of the pandemic, asthe popularity of electronic services grows. This applies to infectious disease hospitals as well, often on the front line of the effort against COVID-19. The paper aims to assess the quality of infectious disease hospital websites in Poland in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. The research covered 91 websites. The first stage was an analysis of selected technical attributes of the websites (including website performance, SEO quality, website availability, and mobile-friendliness) with selected online tools, such as Google PageSpeed Insights, Blink Audit Tool, Backlink Checker, andwebsite accessibility evaluation tool (WAVE). The data were then analyzed with statistical methods. The next step was to analyze the content of the websites. The research has shown that most of the websites were of satisfactory quality, apart from those that were not mobile-ready. The following keywords were found most often on the hospital websites: SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19, smear, specialist care clinic, isolation, telephone consultations, sample collection center, support, coronavirus, recommendations, patient registration, signs of disease. The research suggests that the quality of infectious disease hospital websites in Poland is significantly diversified in search engine optimization, mobile-friendliness, and needs of people at risk of digital exclusion.

Investigation of COVID-19 Vaccine Information Websites across Europe and Asia Using Automated Accessibility Protocols

“…They suggested that, using the ‘WEB accessibility’ automated testing protocol, none of the websites were effective and suggested continuing the testing with other existing automatic tools. Król et al used WAVE to analyze 91 hospital websites of Poland and found that none of the websites passed accessibility testing using this particular testing tool [ 34 ]. Alsaeedi et al [ 35 ] and Kuppusamy et al [ 36 ] investigated 6 Saudi Arabian university websites and 25 Indian higher educational institution websites.…”

Efektivitas Website Rumah Sakit Sebagai Media Informasi Era Pandemi

“…Beberapa elemen kualitas antara lain aksesibilitas, mobile friendliness, konten website, transparansi pelayanan dan harga, serta keamanan website. Website harus dapat diakses terus menerus sehingga pelayanan tidak terpengaruh dan perkembangan bisa dipantau secara real time [7,8,14]. Akses website melalui perangkat smartphone sudah menjadi hal umum.…”

“…Akses website melalui perangkat smartphone sudah menjadi hal umum. Pengembangan website rumah sakit juga diharapkan sudah mengadopsi mobile friendliness agar experience pengakses akan sama seperti yang didapatkan ketika mengakses website melalui peramban pada komputer pribadi [7]. Konten dari website diharapkan juga selalu diperbaharui dengan informasi-informasi kesehatan terbaru dan juga membantu pemerintah di era pandemi COVID-19 dengan menghadirkan informasi yang benar dan tervalidasi [15][16][17].…”

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“…In the era of widespread isolation, electronic services and medical services, in which patients search for phrases about health care, disease symptoms, and safety, are gaining in importance. In the era of a pandemic, the inflow of information, up-to-date information, and its clarity are important, not only directly provided services (Król et al, 2021). However, the latter should not be underestimated either.…”

“…According to the research, in the eyes of doctors, computerization -e-prescriptions, electronic medical documentation is a positive change in the healthcare system. This shows that in addition to medical personnel, technical and IT personnel is important elements of the hospital ecosystem (Haberla, 2021;Król et al, 2021). On the other hand, technologically excluded people deepen their confusion in the age of computerization and prefer a personal consultation with a doctor (Kaźmierczak, 2020).…”