Hospital Websites Research Articles

A structural model of information privacy concerns toward hospital websites

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to propose and empirically test a theoretical model that considers the predictors of an individual’s perceptions of information privacy, and also how it relates to his/her behavioral intention toward approaching hospital web sites. Design/methodology/approach – This paper collects data using survey methodology. A total of 331 usable participants are gathered and analyzed via structural equation modeling. Findings – Significant predictors of information privacy concerns include a stated online privacy policy and a hospital’s reputation. Further, online privacy policy predicts a hospital’s reputation. Finally, hospital reputation and information privacy concerns significantly predict an individual’s behavioral intention toward approaching hospital web sites. Research limitations/implications – The study confirmed that an online privacy policy and reputation can effectively alleviate specific information privacy concerns; therefore, this may indicate that these two factors should be considered whenever investigating individuals’ information privacy concerns. Practical implications – To acquire a good reputation and to diminish individuals’ information privacy concerns toward hospital web sites, hospitals should pay attention to the posting of an online privacy policy and communicating such policies to given individuals. Originality/value – This paper fulfils the gap of exploring the relationship among online privacy policy, organization reputation, and information privacy concerns. Further, the hypothesized model and its findings could also provide useful information for managers who are intent on boosting hospital web site usage frequency patterns.

Systematic Readability Analysis of Medical Texts on Websites of German University Clinics for General and Abdominal Surgery

Background: Besides the function as one of the main contact points, websites of hospitals serve as medical information portals. As medical information texts should be understood by any patients independent of the literacy skills and educational level, online texts should have an appropriate structure to ease understandability. Materials and Methods: Patient information texts on websites of clinics for general surgery at German university hospitals (n = 36) were systematically analysed. For 9 different surgical topics representative medical information texts were extracted from each website. Using common readability tools and 5 different readability indices the texts were analysed concerning their readability and structure. The analysis was furthermore stratified in relation to geographical regions in Germany. Results: For the definite analysis the texts of 196 internet websites could be used. On average the texts consisted of 25 sentences and 368 words. The reading analysis tools congruously showed that all texts showed a rather low readability demanding a high literacy level from the readers. Conclusion: Patient information texts on German university hospital websites are difficult to understand for most patients. To fulfill the ambition of informing the general population in an adequate way about medical issues, a revision of most medical texts on websites of German surgical hospitals is recommended.

의료기관 종별 웹 사이트 정보보안 관리 실태 연구

In this paper, we evaluated web security vulnerability and privacy information management of hospital web sites which are registered at the Korea Hospital Association. Vulnerability Scanner (WVS) based on the OWASP Top 10 was used to evaluate the web security vulnerability of the web sites. And to evaluate the privacy information management, we used ten rules which were based on guidelines for protecting privacy information on web sites. From the results of the evaluation, we discovered tertiary hospitals had relatively excellent web security compared to other type of hospitals. But all the hospital types had not only high level vulnerabilities but also the other level of vulnerabilities. Additionally, 97% of the hospital web sites had a certain level of vulnerability, so a security inspection is needed to secure the web sites. We discovered a few SQL Injection and XSS vulnerabilities in the web sites of tertiary hospitals. However, these are very critical vulnerabilities, so all hospital types have to be inspected to protect their web sites against attacks from hacker. On the other hand, the inspection results of the tertiary hospitals for privacy information management had a better compliance rate than that of the other hospital types.

Promoting hand hygiene program via social media

Methods and materials One 3 minutes-long video of HH campaign in 8 language was posted on the YouTube. The Chinese version had been promoted through three platforms, including the official hospital website, hospital group e-mail, and the Facebook site of one famous internet celebrity, who was also 6th grade medical student of the school the hospital affiliated to. The video traffic of the Chinese version during May 5, to Dec, 31, 2014 was analyzed via Google Analytics. The HH compliance was observed and compared in Nov. of 2013 and Nov. 2014, separately.

Patients and Public Involvement in Patient Safety and Treatment Process in Hospitals Affiliated to Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Iran, 2013.

Background:In the recent decades, healthcare providers had a perspective of benevolent paternalism. Nowadays, the patients’ role has changed and they have a significant obligation to participate in their caring decisions.Objectives:The current study aimed to investigate the involvement of patients and public in the patient safety and treatment process in hospitals affiliated to Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran, 2013.Patients and Methods:A cross-sectional study was conducted in the hospitals affiliated to Kashan University of Medical Sciences in 2013. Subjects included all of the 18 chief managers, 10% of nurses in each hospital, and 375 patients. Data collection instruments included a questionnaire and a checklist designed according to the research objectives. Data analysis was performed using the SPSS ver. 13. Descriptive statistics, percentage and frequencies, were calculated for all variables and analyzed by Chi-square test.Results:In the treatment process, 81 patients (21.61%), 50 nurses (80.6%) and 15 chief managers (83.3%) had awareness about Patient Bill of Rights. In patient Safety, 19.73% of the patients stated that hospitals received their feedbacks. Management activities were weak in evaluation. All of the six hospitals (100%) had a defined process to perform satisfaction surveys’ quality improvement and patient authentication policy.Conclusions:Patient and public participation in Kashan hospitals are not adhered well. As the patient has an important role in improving the quality of services, more use of mass media especially local newspapers, hospital websites, and training programs are suggested to inform both the patients and public on their rights and roles in improving the healthcare services.

Implementing an Enhanced Birth Experience for Family‐Centered Cesarean Birth

<h2>Poster Presentation</h2><h3>Purpose for the Program</h3> To create a more family‐centered birth experience for the woman undergoing a cesarean birth. <h3>Proposed Change</h3> Based on evidence, our perinatal clinical practice committee chose to implement specific changes to create an enhanced birth experience called Family‐Centered C‐Section. We realized that about one third of our patients did not get to experience a home‐like birthing environment or have immediate skin‐to‐skin contact with their newborns. Our interventions included dim operating room (OR) lighting, patient‐selected music, minimal to no family separation (i.e., support person remains at the patient's side through the entire perioperative period), skin‐to‐skin contact, and initiating breastfeeding in the OR. <h3>Implementation, Outcomes, and Evaluation</h3> A multidisciplinary team approach was taken: labor and delivery (L&D) nurses, anesthesiologists, obstetricians, pediatric hospitalists, nursery nurses, neonatal nurse practitioners, OR technicians and nurses, and maintenance personnel all had input into the innovative practice. Logistical issues were considered and resolved. Equipment was moved around the room in different positions, electrical work was done to dim the overhead fluorescent lights, and speakers were purchased with dock and auxiliary jacks for phones to play music. Education for the nurses and physicians followed regarding the new process. Like any change, we encountered staff who were excited and staff who did not allow for some of the interventions to take place. Further education and role‐modeling helped with staff that were reluctant. Patients have expressed satisfaction in the new process, especially if they had previous cesarean births without the interventions. Families are amazed that their newborns are able to breastfeed while the mother is still on the operating table. <h3>Implications for Nursing Practice</h3> Shared governance is an important aspect for implementing changes in the unit. The process reflected the desire of the practice council members. All of the interventions were evidence based. For example, music and minimal separation of the support person allows for decreased anxiety and heart rate. Our previous staffing guidelines in which a nurse was responsible for the newborn allowed us to easily transition to keeping the newborn with the mother for the entire procedure (skin‐to‐skin contact and providing breastfeeding support). Another nursing implication is that our patients are educated in the office, visit our hospital website, and participate in prenatal classes about our Family‐Centered C‐Sections, so the expectation has been set in the community. Nurses and physicians who do not follow the interventions often are questioned or reminded by patients, families, and other staff members.

Target frames in British hotel websites

&lt;div class="page" title="Page 1"&gt;&lt;div class="layoutArea"&gt;&lt;div class="column"&gt;&lt;p&gt;This article centres on four-word phrase frames in British hospitality websites. Our aim is to identify those frames that are specific to this website genre, which we call target frames. Each phrase frame represents an identical sequence of words except for one variable word, that is A*BC or AB*D. The words that fill the slot, marked with an asterisk, are called fillers. We used a corpus-driven approach using KfNgram software to identify the phrase frames in our corpus (COMETVAL). We regard phrase frames as genre-specific when they are significantly more frequent than those found in the written section of the BNC, which represents General British English. We further filtered our selection of phrase frames by eliminating those which were not semantically homogenous with regard to the variable words they contained. Only in this way could the 76 phrase frames we identified be classified according to their primary discourse function. We contend that our study is a valuable addition to the literature on phraseology and can be of use in pedagogical and professional settings.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;

Vaccination persuasion online: a qualitative study of two provaccine and two vaccine-skeptical websites.

BackgroundCurrent concerns about vaccination resistance often cite the Internet as a source of vaccine controversy. Most academic studies of vaccine resistance online use quantitative methods to describe misinformation on vaccine-skeptical websites. Findings from these studies are useful for categorizing the generic features of these websites, but they do not provide insights into why these websites successfully persuade their viewers. To date, there have been few attempts to understand, qualitatively, the persuasive features of provaccine or vaccine-skeptical websites.ObjectiveThe purpose of this research was to examine the persuasive features of provaccine and vaccine-skeptical websites. The qualitative analysis was conducted to generate hypotheses concerning what features of these websites are persuasive to people seeking information about vaccination and vaccine-related practices.MethodsThis study employed a fully qualitative case study methodology that used the anthropological method of thick description to detail and carefully review the rhetorical features of 1 provaccine government website, 1 provaccine hospital website, 1 vaccine-skeptical information website focused on general vaccine safety, and 1 vaccine-skeptical website focused on a specific vaccine. The data gathered were organized into 5 domains: website ownership, visual and textual content, user experience, hyperlinking, and social interactivity.ResultsThe study found that the 2 provaccine websites analyzed functioned as encyclopedias of vaccine information. Both of the websites had relatively small digital ecologies because they only linked to government websites or websites that endorsed vaccination and evidence-based medicine. Neither of these websites offered visitors interactive features or made extensive use of the affordances of Web 2.0. The study also found that the 2 vaccine-skeptical websites had larger digital ecologies because they linked to a variety of vaccine-related websites, including government websites. They leveraged the affordances of Web 2.0 with their interactive features and digital media.ConclusionsBy employing a rhetorical framework, this study found that the provaccine websites analyzed concentrate on the accurate transmission of evidence-based scientific research about vaccines and government-endorsed vaccination-related practices, whereas the vaccine-skeptical websites focus on creating communities of people affected by vaccines and vaccine-related practices. From this personal framework, these websites then challenge the information presented in scientific literature and government documents. At the same time, the vaccine-skeptical websites in this study are repositories of vaccine information and vaccination-related resources. Future studies on vaccination and the Internet should take into consideration the rhetorical features of provaccine and vaccine-skeptical websites and further investigate the influence of Web 2.0 community-building features on people seeking information about vaccine-related practices.

Cystic fibrosis-Children and adults Tai Chi study (CF CATS2): Can Tai Chi improve symptoms and quality of life for people with cystic fibrosis? Second phase study protocol.

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a genetic disorder affecting respiratory and digestive systems. People with CF experience physical symptoms; cough, poor lung ventilation, recurrent infections, poor weight gain, diarrhoea, and malnutrition, as well as lower quality of life. Tai Chi, a Chinese form of meditative movement, may help with the symptoms of CF and help people with CF to exercise. However, there is very little research in this area. To evaluate the feasibility of studying Tai Chi for CF and to compare the effectiveness of Tai Chi to standard care and face-to-face Tai Chi with online Tai Chi for people with CF. This is a comparative effectiveness trial with 72 people with CF over 6 years old and a patient at the Royal Brompton Hospital, London, UK. Participants receive 8 Tai Chi sessions, then home practice with a DVD. Sessions are one-on-one for group A, online for group B. Group B is a no treatment standard care control (first 3 months). At baseline, 3, 6 and 9 months, questionnaires will be used to measure quality of life, mindfulness and sleep, and medical data health and respiratory function. At Tai Chi sessions and at 4 follow-up points, the Borg Scale and healthcare use data will be collected. At 9 months online focus groups will assess participants' experience, Tai Chi feasibility, perceived health impact, and study participation. Recruitment will use adverts in hospital clinics and website, and letter/phone for non-regularly attending patients. Block randomisation will use random number tables. The two groups will be compared for: weeks 1 to 12 (Tai Chi vs. standard care); before and after intervention (differences in delivery method); week 1 (of intervention) to month 9 (long-term impact). Qualitative data will use Framework analysis. We believe this is the first trial of Tai Chi for CF. Tai Chi may help with the physiological symptoms of CF and increase levels of exercise by providing a self-management technique and low stress activity. This study will provide data on the feasibility of a randomized controlled trial of Tai Chi for CF, including data for a sample size calculation and will inform future study design.

Demystifying cancer and engaging patients through information technology.

e17550 Background: Technological evolution, equipment modernization and internet accessibility are contributing to the increase of Information Technology, especially in the oncology area, where patients and family members are eager for information. However, the exponential growth in the amount of information does not guarantee the quality and responsiveness of it, highlighting the inadequacy and inappropriateness of information as a cause of fear, insecurity and even lack of commitment to treatment. Methods: Websites (10) of renowned oncology world hospitals were analyzed in Normative Descriptive Model. The Descriptive Model contemplates the existence and specificity of the areas: Lexi-Visual Content, Organic Search, Advanced Search (Yes/No). The Normative Model was based on principles and heuristics proposed by Ergonomics Areas, Human-Computer Interaction and Information Design: Information Structure, Simplicity Clarity, Unity, Usability, Acessibility (Appropriate/Partially Appropriate/Inappropriate). Re...

Do Hospital Web Sites Describe Available and Institutionally Restricted Family Planning Options? [188

INTRODUCTION: Women face institutional restrictions related to the provision of family planning care at Catholic hospitals. We sought to determine whether hospitals (Catholic and non-Catholic) comprehensively describe available family planning options on their web sites. METHODS: We reviewed websites of 39 Catholic hospitals and 39 non-Catholic hospitals from the 25 largest health care systems in 2011. We searched for women's health care services and family planning options. We specifically compared whether Catholic hospitals identified the provision of natural family planning care and non-Catholic hospitals identified the provision of at least one short- or long-term contraceptive option. RESULTS: More than 90% of all web sites examined identified provision of women's health services, prenatal and maternity care, and mammography and 58% identified the provision of robotic hysterectomy. Catholic hospitals were less likely to identify the provision of natural family planning when compared with non-Catholic hospitals that identified the provision of contraceptive options (23.1% compared with 53.8%, P<.01). Five Catholic hospitals (13%) identified the provision of at least one short- or long-term contraceptive option. None of the Catholic hospitals explicitly stated that other contraceptive options were not offered. IMPLICATION: Current hospital web sites do not sufficiently detail available contraceptive options, and Catholic hospitals do not detail restrictions to family planning care. The omission of available care options limits women's ability to act as well-informed consumers of health care.

Randomized trial of a novel game-based appointment system for a university hospital venereology unit: study protocol.

BackgroundChlamydia is the most common reportable sexually transmitted disease (STD) in Norway, and its incidence in the two northernmost counties has been disclosed to be nearly the double of the Norwegian average. The latest publicly available rates showed that 85.6% of the new cases were diagnosed in people under 29 years old.The information and communication technologies are among the most powerful influences in the lives of young people. The Internet can potentially represent a way to educate on sexual health and encourage young people, and especially youth, to be tested for STDs. If hospital websites include an easy and anonymous system for scheduling appointments with the clinic, it is possible that this could lead to an increase in the number of people tested for STDs.MethodsThe purpose of the study is to assess the impact of a game-based appointment system on the frequency of consultations at a venereology unit and on the use of an educational web app. An A/B testing methodology is used. Users from the city of Tromsø, in North Norway, will be randomized to one of the two versions of the game-style web app on sexual health at www.sjekkdeg.no. Group A will have access to educational content only, while group B will have, in addition, access to a game-based appointment system with automatic prioritization. After one year of the trial, it will be analyzed if the game-based appointment system increases the number of consultations at the venereology unit and if health professionals deem the system useful.DiscussionThis study will explore if facilitating the access to health services for youth through the use of a game-based appointment system integrated in a game-style web app on sexual health education can have an impact on appointment rates.Trial registrationThe trial is registered at clinicaltrials.org under the identifier ClinicalTrials.gov NCT:02128620

Risks of Imbalanced Information on US Hospital Websites

Conducting a Google search for a disease is how many people get information about their illness and possible treatments. In a national survey sponsored by the Pew Research Center, 72% of adult Internet users reported looking online for health information in the past 12 months and 43% reported searching for information about a specific medical treatment or procedure.1 Valuable data and tools–including hospital quality ratings, professional treatment guidelines, and patient decision aids–are increasingly available via the Internet and may help patients facing decisions about where to seek care or whether to undergo a medical procedure. Clinicians often encourage patients to engage with these types of information as a means of promoting patient involvement in medical decisions and offloading tasks from the too-brief clinical encounter. Unfortunately, valuable online health information may be hard to identify amid a growing number of online advertisements.

Presentation on US hospital websites of risks and benefits of transcatheter aortic valve replacement procedures.

Adequate presentation of risks and benefits of medical therapies is essential to informed decision making by patients.1 Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) has been recently approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of severe aortic stenosis among carefully selected patients; recent randomized clinical trials have identified important positive and negative outcomes of TAVR in these populations, including twice the risk of stroke for patients undergoing TAVR vs those undergoing open aortic valve replacement.2,3 Since 78% of all adults in the United States seek out health information online,4we assessed the information regarding known risks and benefits of TAVR made available to the public on the websites of US hospitals currently performing TAVR procedures.

What do Chinese patients need from their hospitals’ Web sites?

This user study aims to find out what Chinese patients want most from their hospitals’ Web sites. With the Delphi technique, two online survey questionnaires were designed to collect data from 183 qualified participants, as a purposive sample, recruited through the snowball sampling method. The study has found that what these Chinese patients need most are interactive tools, authentic and updated information, a clear site structure and user-friendly interface, patient education, and patient privacy protection. They especially desire professionally designed Online Inquiry and Online Appointment tools and relevant high-quality e-health videos. The study concludes that, today, making a hospital Web site relevant to its patients is one of the most efficient ways to market a hospital and to make the hospital stand out among competitors. In addition, Chinese hospitals need to encourage their patients to take advantage of their Web sites. The findings and conclusions in this study have made up the missing pieces in the studies involving Chinese hospital Web site development and provided clear guidance to Chinese hospitals’ future Web development.

Building a patient-centered hospital Web site: Best practices in China

In this case study, based on six criteria, four Chinese hospitals were chosen from a national sample to showcase, through content analysis and in-depth interviews, the best practices of serving patients online. The extensive findings have addressed the following three questions: what these hospitals have in common in their Web development, what problems and challenges they are facing, and how they have excelled in serving their patients online. The study concludes that, like larger hospitals, smaller hospitals can also excel in creating an outstanding Web site to serve their patients so long as they truly care about their patients, have a clear vision, and strong expertise in IT development. The study also concludes that Chinese private hospitals can learn from these state-owned hospitals in establishing a good reputation through professional and responsible interaction with patients. The four hospital studied may shed light on the Web development in many other Chinese hospitals that are going through the same healthcare new media adoption. The findings from this study can also help Chinese hospitals form their visions in serving patients online.

Ethical Concerns in the Implementation of DNA Sequencing-Based Noninvasive Prenatal Testing for Fetal Aneuploidy Among Obstetric Professionals in Hong Kong

Background: Cell-free fetal DNA-sequencing-based noninvasive prenatal testing (NIPT) for fetal aneuploidy was introduced in late 2011 in Hong Kong. While the clinical benefits of NIPT as an easy, accurate, and procedurally risk-free test at an early gestational stage are recognized, little is known about its ethical implications in antenatal care. This study aimed to assess obstetric professionals’ views of NIPT. Methods: Surveys containing closed-ended questions about knowledge and attitudes toward NIPT and views on selected ethical issues associated with it were distributed to obstetricians, nurses, and midwives practicing in both the public and private sectors in Hong Kong between October 2013 and January 2014. Results: Of the 327 respondents, 123 (38%) were NIPT providers, 138 (42%) were knowledgeable about the test but did not provide it (“nonproviders”), and 20% (66/327) had no knowledge of NIPT (“NIPT unaware”). Forty-three percent of NIPT providers and nonproviders (111/261) regarded NIPT as a primary screening test, and 27% regarded it as diagnostic test. NIPT providers were more likely than nonproviders to obtain NIPT information from university and hospital websites (p = .03), scientific reports (p < .001), or pregnant women's media (p = 001). The greatest ethical concerns among respondents were patients undertaking multiple screening tests, unequal access due to high cost, and patients’ inadequate knowledge. The social implications of possible increased rates of pregnancy terminations and increased discrimination of individuals with Down syndrome were found to be the ethical issues of least concern, but nonproviders regarded these issues as raising more ethical concerns than providers. Conclusion: Consistent with earlier research, this study found that health care providers who are familiar with NIPT see this technology as having some clinical utility while raising a number of ethical issues. Educational and informational materials should be developed to support those who deliver this service.

Assessing the Effects of e-servicescape on Customer Intention: A Study on the Hospital Websites in South Jakarta

The impact of the internet is very influential in the development of today's business world. It is crucial for service providers to use their official website to seize potential customers’ attention by creating a website that impresses them. The role of corporate website in service industry is really important because it can present the intangibility elements (physical surroundings) of the service itself. The purpose of this study is try to examine which element of the e-servicescape on hospital websites that significantly influences customers’ perceived quality to encourage potential customers to use the services of the hospital. Quantitative method is conducted using a Spearman Rank correlation for nonparametric data to obtain a significant relationship value of the variables observed.

Evaluating the information accessibility of the public hospital website

Evaluating the information accessibility of the public hospital website

Quality assessment of diabetes online patient education materials from academic institutions

Objective: The purpose of this study was to assess and compare the readability of type 2 diabetes online patient education materials from academic institutions in the northeast USA and the American Diabetes Association. Many US residents utilise the Internet to obtain health information. Studies have shown that online patient education materials are often written above the recommended fifth grade reading level, and this may pertain to diabetes health information as well. As diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in the USA and glycaemic control is related to health literacy, the readability of diabetic health information is pertinent. Methods: Many academic institutions provide type 2 diabetes online health information. A readability analysis was conducted of materials on the websites of academic institutions or affiliate hospitals with endocrinology fellowships in the northeast USA, and from the American Diabetes Association, using 10 quantitative scales: the Flesch Reading Ease Score, the Flesch–Kincaid Grade Level, the Simple Measure of Gobbledygook, the Gunning Frequency of Gobbledygook, the New Dale–Chall Test, the Coleman–Liau Index, the New Fog Count, the Raygor Readability Estimate, the FORCAST test and the Fry Graph. Results: On average, northeast US academic institutions prepared their online diabetes patient education materials at above a 10th grade reading level. Conclusion: The readability of type 2 diabetes patient health information from academic websites is too difficult. It may benefit people with diabetes for future patient education materials to be prepared at lower reading grade levels.