Students are to select a topic related to a chronic condition, such as: heart failure/ heart disease,
cancer (any type), obesity, HIV/ AIDS, COPD, etc. Choose a website to review, critique and summarize
in a 4-6-page paper. Students are to evaluate the site using the criterion discussed in class on
evaluating health related websites (Chapter 16) and the grading rubric as to specific content required
for the paper. All submissions will be uploaded through Blackboard and Safe Assign. Failure to submit
the paper to Blackboard or Safe Assign will result in a zero. No exceptions. Web critique on Mayo Clinic website Assignment
Web critique on Mayo Clinic website
Introduction
Websites are a significant source of information, especially on health topics. They are readily available to the public and can be accessed from any place, a key strength when it is considered that internet access has become more common to the public. While websites offer information on health topics, there is a need to determine whether the information they offer is useful and suitable. This is especially the case when it is considered that any person can publish a website (Grover, 2021). While some websites are aware of this concern and subject the information to a review process before publications to determine that the information is factual and balanced, other websites do not review the information. In essence, a website that is considered a reliable internet source must ensure that it includes information that can be verified, such as figures and facts, news reports, scientific papers, industry and professional standards, conference papers, government reports, and peer reviewed journal articles. However, it is important to note that although a website may not include information that can be verified, that does not necessarily mean that it does not contain accurate information. In essence, a website is convenience and easy to use, but it presents concerns about the accuracy of collected information as this is difficult to determine. As such, a comprehensive website critique is necessary to determine whether or not it is a reliable source of information (Ellis, 2019). Towards this end, this paper conducts a website critique for Mayo Clinic website diabetes information page.
Website Identification
The selected website for critique is Mayo Clinic website diabetes information page. Located at “https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/diabetes/symptoms-causes/syc-20371444”, this is a site that presents general information that improves public knowledge levels on diabetes symptoms and causes, diagnosis and treatment, doctors and departments, and care at Mayo Clinic. Within information, the general public can understand how diabetes affects their health, the care approaches that are available, and the care that they can receive from Mayo Clinic facilities. It is clear that this is a general information page that explains what diabetes entails in terms of blood sugar (glucose) levels, how it affects the brain, muscles and tissues, and how the different causes translate into diabetes types (Mayo Clinic, 2020).
Comprehensive Website Evaluation
The website is sponsored by Mayo Clinic, a not-for-profit health care organization that offers medical care and advice for diabetes patients. Mayo Clinic is an organization that provides health care services to patients in the USA. The organization manages the Mayo Clinic website as an information center that informs patients about health care conditions, links them to health care services and personnel at the organization’s facilities, and helps with making appointment for care. As an organization that engages health care professionals and is involved in the provision of health care services, Mayo Clinic has the credentials to present the public health information.
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Mayo Clinic pays for the website with the intention of serving two purposes. The primary purpose is to market its health care services by linking the care needs of patients with the services offered at its facilities. The secondary purpose is to inform the public by presenting information on topics in which the organization is an authority. The primary purpose of the site presents an indication of potential bias since the organization offers information on medical conditions that are linked to services that it provides so that there is a possibility of bias to better market its services. To be more precise, while the site presents factual information, it may be skewed towards marketing the medical services offered by the organization, while ignoring any information that may not be helpful or even harmful to efforts on marketing its services.
The original source of information presented in the site is indicated. In fact, the information is not cited, but is referenced. The site indicates that the information is compiled by the staff at the organization with 15 references at the end of the page. The presence of references shows that the site is reliable. Also, it shows that there is little possibility that a mistake could have been made as the information sources are not obscure. In addition, the site presents general information on diabetes, and this information can be verified by offline sources. In fact, the site provides a link to a book on diabetes published by Mayo Clinic as well as the 15 references. Besides that, the information presented in the site is compiled and verified by staff at Mayo Clinic. These staff are experts on diabetes care who provide and review the information based on their extensive combined knowledge and experience. Nevertheless, it is unclear whether an independent source was engaged to review the site information and verify its accuracy.
The information presented in the site is current, having been published in the last two years. To be more precise, the site information was last reviewed on 30th October 2020, showing that Mayo Clinic is actively maintaining the site. Besides that, the site includes a copyright date for 2022, showing that the site is actively maintained with current information. Also, the references were published between 2018 and 2020, showing that the references are current.
The site includes links to other website pages where visitors can access additional information as indicated. The hyperlinks direct visitors to new sections within the site page or to a new page. The hyperlinks are blue in color, underlined and active so that users can click on them to access the additional information. Furthermore, the hyperlinks help to maintain good reading speed while retaining a balanced feel between general and more detailed information showing that the site provides content supported by other websites and online sources It is notable that all hyperlinks are to sites managed by Mayo Clinic, providing information targeted at marketing medical services offered by the organization.
The website includes an advertisement of the medical services offered by mayo Clinic. There is no potential conflict of interest as Mayo Clinic manages the website and all the advertisements help to market the services offered by the clinic. In addition, the site presents two advertisements that help to generate review for the site. These additional advertisements are managed by an independent party that pays Mayo Clinic. Overall, there is no potential conflict of interest as Mayo Clinic maintains control over the site content.
The website does not collect information about users. However, the site administrator (Mayo Clinic) has a privacy policy that explains what information may be required from site users, how the information would be used and managed, and key steps taken to ensure user privacy. The privacy policy explains that the site could require personal information that could identify users. Also, the policy explains that some information is automatically collected as users visit the site, to include usage details, device information and location data, with the information collected to improve the usage experience.
The website is easy to navigate with the information logically presented, with clear flow that directs users how to proceed from defining the condition, to the symptoms they may notice and causes, diagnosis and treatment, and care they can receive at the facility. The information is intended for persons who suffer from diabetes and may require medical care, or those who know persons with diabetes and may require medical care. Besides that, the website is certified by the HONcode standard for trustworthy health, an accreditation that was issued in April 2020 to show that the site presents trustworthy public health information.
Summary
One must accept that a website is an accessible and convenient source of public information on health topics. In addition, one must acknowledge that Mayo Clinic website diabetes information page presents public information on diabetes. A critique of the website reveals that it is sponsored and published by Mayo Clinics, a not-for-profit health care organization that offers medical care and advice for diabetes patients. The site serves the purposes of informing the public and marketing Mayo Clinic services. Besides that, the information presented in the site is not cited but it is referenced. The site presents current information since it was published in 2020, with the copyright date being 2022. Furthermore, the site includes hyperlinks for additional information and references showing the sources of information. Advertisements are included in the site, with Mayo Clinic advertising its services, and including their-party advertisements that act as a source of revenue. Moreover, the site is subject to a privacy policy that details how information collected from users is managed. Moreover, the site is logically formatted to facilitate use, and is certified by HONcode standard for trustworthy health to show that it presents trustworthy public health information.
References
Ellis, P. (2019). Evidence-based Practice in Nursing (4th ed.). SAGE Publications, Inc.
Grover, M. R. (2021). Embracing Technology: Get Tech-Savvy by Learning About Your Computer, Smartphone, Internet, and Social Media Applications. BPB Publications.
Mayo Clinic (2020, October 30). Diabetes – Symptoms and Causes. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/diabetes/symptoms-causes/syc-20371444
Web critique on Mayo Clinic website Assignment