Evaluation of Asthma-related Websites

Seomun, Gyeong Ae; Lee, Su Jeong; Lee, Sun Mi

Abstract

OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to analyze current status of the web sites dealing with asthma in the Internet, and to evaluate their technical aspects and contents.
METHODS
The evaluation tool consisted of four areas(construction, operation, accessibility, and content) with twenty-six items. Four sites including the contents related with symptoms of asthma, consultation of health professionals, and treatment and nursing for asthma were selected to be analyzed.
RESULTS
The results of the analysis were as follows: 1) there was no web site dealing with asthma managed by public institutions 2) the only 5% of the top 100 sites were found to be related with the asthma by exploring the top five search engines in Korea and 3) the evaluation scores four web sites were 6-11 out of 18 in the category of construction, 10-21 out of 24 in operation, 5-10 out of 15 in accessibility, and 8-18 out of 21 in content.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, it will be possible to prevent asthma at first through web sites, which will be one of the most beneficial aspects of web site, so the system to evaluate web sites should be developed to provide high-quality information about asthma.