analysis of a website for the patient about the disease state beyondblue: the national depression...

Analysis of a Website for the Patient About the Disease State

Beyondblue: the National Depression Initiative

http://www.beyondblue.org.au/site/index.asp

Eryn Olshen 0005633

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

1. Is the user able to quickly determine the basic content of the site?

No

1 2Partially

3 4Yes

5

2. User is able to determine the intended audience of the site?

No

1 2Partially

3 4Yes

5

First impressions….

• In the top left hand corner are three choices to select from, depending on who you are: “a consumer or carer, the general public, or a health professional.” Clicking on each sends you to a page appropriate for that target group.

First impressions…

• There is a search engine solely for the purpose of navigating the site. This is a very user friendly tool for the patient/ caregiver to use- all that is required is a keyword.

• There is also a “Fast Find” button that expands to a list of topic links available on the site for ease of navigation.

RELIABILITY

3. Are the aims clear?

No

1 2Partially

3 4Yes

5

4. Does it achieve its aims?

No

1 2Partially

3 4Yes

5

RELIABILITY

5. Is the information evidence based?

No

1 2Partially

3 4Yes

5

6. Does the website provide good coverage of information?

No

1 2Partially

3 4Yes

5

RELIABILITY

7. Is the information relevant?

No

1 2Partially

3 4Yes

5

Reliability…

• 'Beyondblue is a national depression initiative, with a major goal to increase community awareness of depression. A page titled “About this site” has a link from the first page. This section comprises information on the aims of the site, how it is structured, the sorts of information available, and instructions on how to navigate your way through the site.

Reliability

• On the first page, there is a Hitwise logo. Opening this link, reveals that from July - September 2001, www.beyondblue.org.au was ranked #8 in the Hitwise Australia 'Health and Medical - Organisations' category based on number of visits.

Reliability

• This ranking is established from Australia-based visitors visiting Australian sites. It enhances the credibility of the site.

AUTHORITY

8. Is it clear who is responsible for the contents of the page?

No

1 2Partially

3 4Yes

5

9. Is it clear who wrote the material and are the author's qualifications for writing on this topic clearly stated?

No

1 2Partially

3 4Yes

5

Authority…

• At the top of the page on “Depression information” there is a note to say “all information prepared by: Professor Ian Hickie, CEO, beyondblue”. It also details a phone number and his mailing address. More details about Prof Ian Hickie are available on the link “The Beyond Blue Organisation- Board members”. Here you learn he has a distinguished international career as a clinician, researcher, manager and advocate in the field of depression, including a role asDirector of the Academic Department of Psychiatry at St George Hospital.

INFORMATION VALUE

10. Does it provide a good description of the condition or treatment protocol?

No

1 2Partially

3 4Yes

5

11. Does it outline criteria for diagnosis of condition or criteria for appropriate prescription of treatment?

No

1 2Partially

3 4Yes

5

INFORMATION VALUE

12. Does it describe how each treatment works?

No

1 2Partially

3 4Yes

5

13. Does it describe the benefits of each treatment?

No

1 2Partially

3 4Yes

5

INFORMATION VALUE

14. Does it describe alternative treatments, or other diagnoses possible?

No

1 2Partially

3 4Yes

5

15. Does is detail the typical prognoses of condition, associated risks; treatment risks?

No

1 2Partially

3 4Yes

5

INFORMATION VALUE

16. Does it avoid inaccurate or misleading descriptions, recommendations?

No

1 2Partially

3 4Yes

5

17. Does it provide contacts for questions, support groups, or more information?

No

1 2Partially

3 4Yes

5

Information value…

• The page entitled “Depression information” is a very thorough guide for the general public. It contains subheading links:

• Do I have depression? • How can you tell if someone close to you is

depressed? • What can I do to help someone who is depressed?• Understanding your illness • Treatments for depression

Information value…

– These subheadings cover signs and symptoms, pathology and aetiology, non-pharmacological and pharmacological treatment options in a way that may be easily understood by the general population.

• There is a section on diagnosis that includes a depression checklist, and survey that the viewer can take with immediate results. With the presentation of the score is a recommendation to seek further assessment, if required.

Information value…

• The “treatments” link details psychological and drug treatment, using only lay language, which is appropriate.

• There are no inaccurate or misleading descriptions.

Information Value…

• There is “Depression Resources” page which has sub links: personal experiences, patient resources, multimedia library (where the viewer can download videos including explanations on what depression is, how it is treated, and consumers discussing their experiences as sufferers of depression), research reports, and discussion room transcripts (of real time chats that happen between general public and a doctor from the association).

Information value…

• The personal experience section is a good support for patients to help them understand they are not alone and help is available.

Information value…

• In the “Contact Us” link from the home page, there is a disclaimer:“it is important to note that beyondblue is not a health service or a crisis service. We are an organisation devoted to increasing awareness and understanding of depression in the community. We do not have doctors or health professionals available to respond to your specific difficulties.”

Information value…

• For the user, there are recommendations of where to seek assistance for people who are in need of urgent medical or psychological help.

• However, I think there is a need for direct links on every page to assistance pages e.g. Kids Helpline, where immediate assistance may be sought.

Information value…

• There are links to other organisations, including one offering a 24hour email service, but these links occur under a different heading “Related Organisations”. There is also the opportunity to register your name to be added to their mailing list for further support and information.

Information value…

• There is also a section of “Frequently Asked Questions”, which covers 10 very relevant issues to patients.

• At the top of every page there is an option to: – email the page to a friend – to print the page for future reference.

• Both are very useful tools, which save the user from having to log on to the site to access the information.

ACCURACY 18. Are the sources for any factual information clearly

listed so they can be verified in another source?

No

1 2Partially

3 4Yes

5

19. Is the information free of grammatical, spelling, and typographical errors?

No

1 2Partially

3 4Yes

5

ACCURACY 20. Is it clear who has the ultimate responsibility

for the accuracy of the content of the material?

No

1 2Partially

3 4Yes

5

21. If there are charts and/or graphs containing statistical data, are the charts and/or graphs clearly labeled and easy to read?

No

1 2Partially

3 4Yes

5

Accuracy…

• References are all conveniently located at the bottom of the relevant page.

• The information is completely free of grammatical, spelling and typographical errors.

• It is clear that the ultimate responsibility for the page lies with Professor Hickie and the Beyond Blue organization, which is government sponsored.

Accuracy…

• There aren’t really any charts or graphs on the site, only in the Beyond Blue newsletters that can be downloaded, in which case they are clearly labeled.

CURRENCY 22. Are there dates on the page to indicate when the page

was written, first placed on the Web, and when it was last revised?

No

1 2Partially

3 4Yes

5

23. If material is presented in graphs and/or charts, is it clearly stated when the data was gathered?

No

1 2Partially

3 4Yes

5

Currency…

• The “Home” page specifies 14th August as the latest update of the site. According to the “Contact Us” page the website was launched in April 2001.

PRESENTATION 24. Is the information clearly

communicated? No

1 2Partially

3 4Yes

5

25. Is information summarised and/or bullet-pointed ?

No

1 2Partially

3 4Yes

5

PRESENTATION 26. Were the lines of type clearly spaced?

No

1 2Partially

3 4Yes

5

27. Are unrelated sections clearly separated?

No

1 2Partially

3 4Yes

5

PRESENTATION 28. Are diagrams and images labeled and do

they relate to the subject matter?No

1 2Partially

3 4Yes

5

29. Is there a single style of design and layout maintained throughout?

No

1 2Partially

3 4Yes

5

Presentation…

• The information is very clearly communicated through use of language appropriate for the layperson to understand.

• Information set out neatly, summarized and bullet pointed.

Presentation…

• Unrelated sections are placed on different pages. • Diagrams are easy to understand and the images

support the “hopeful” vibe of the site and provide light relief from the serious subject matter.

• A single style is maintained throughout which is appealing to the eye, and makes browsing the material a pleasant experience.

APPEARANCE OF TEXT30. Was 12pt font or larger used?(Recommended that no

less than 10 pt font is used for the main body of text)

No

1 2Partially

3 4Yes

5

31. Was a dark typeface on a pale background used?

No

1 2Partially

3 4Yes

5

APPEARANCE OF TEXT32. Was bold used for emphasis only?

No

1 2Partially

3 4Yes

5

33. Were italics not used for long passages?

No

1 2Partially

3 4Yes

5

APPEARANCE OF TEXT34. Was underlining avoided ?

No

1 2Partially

3 4Yes

5

35. Was UPPER CASE used sparingly ?

No

1 2Partially

3 4Yes

5

Appearance of text…

• The main body of text is 12 point, with headings are uniformly size 16 for emphasis. The font is black on a white background, which is very clear to read. Bold is used for subheadings, italics are used sparingly and underlying is avoided. There is no instance of solid uppercase text.

• There is good use of colour, blue and orange seem to be a theme throughout the website which ties everything together in a very aesthetically pleasing manner.

CONTENT36. Was jargon avoided ?

No

1 2Partially

3 4Yes

5

37. Were acronyms, abbreviations and specialist terms explained (e.g. in a glossary)?

No

1 2Partially

3 4Yes

5

CONTENT

38. Is the information balanced and unbiased?

No

1 2Partially

3 4Yes

5

Content…

• There is no use of jargon, all the language is appropriate to the level of education expected of a young teenager, which is essential for the success of the site. Any acronyms, abbreviations or specialist terms are used to a minimum, and are clearly defined when they are used.

• The site is a non-profit government initiative primarily to raise awareness about the disease state, and as such there is no presence of bias to be detected.

FURTHER INFORMATION39. Are there links to other sites that are

relevant to the users’ needs/ purposes?No

1 2Partially

3 4Yes

5

40. Are the links to other sites current and working properly ?

No

1 2Partially

3 4Yes

5

Further Information…

• This website provides many relevant links to other sites about mental illness and depression. These links were found to be in proper working order.

• Under the disclaimer link, three phone numbers were provided for people seeking help or urgent assistance. Such contacts are essential, in case of an emergency.

Life Line - 13 11 14 Kids Help Line - 1800 551 800 Carenet - 1300 669 664

OVERALL RATING OF THE PUBLICATION

41. Based on the answers to all of the above questions, rate the overall quality of the publication as a source of information about treatment choices

Low   Moderate   High

Serious or extensive

shortcomings

  Potentially important but

not serious shortcomings

  Minimal shortcomings

1 2 3 4 5

OVERALL RATING OF THE PUBLICATION

• This website provides an extremely comprehensive information source to the patient. It has a pleasant design that is attractive to the eye. It is simple, uncluttered and organised, thus easy to navigate. It uses language targeted to the general population and has a list of subheadings to work your way through.

OVERALL RATING OF THE PUBLICATION

• As it is written by an Australian who is a renowned specialist in mental health, and endorsed by the Victorian government, the information in this site is highly reliable.

• The achieves its aims, as clearly outlined in the site, and frequently mentions how to identify signs and symptoms of depression, where to seek help and what the treatment options are.

OVERALL RATING OF THE PUBLICATION

• A large factor in this site is building awareness to remove the stigma attached to the disease and the preconceptions that a patient may possess.

• After browsing this site, the patient should have a much better understanding of the disease state and how it comes about.

• They should be able to assess whether they are depressed and what signs and symptoms to look out for.

OVERALL RATING OF THE PUBLICATION

• They should also be aware of the different treatment options available

• They have the opportunity to read other’s experiences with the disease, and join email lists and support groups.

• They should know where to seek help, and where to direct further questions.

OVERALL RATING OF THE PUBLICATION

• The high standard of this site is essential for its purpose. This site definitely meets the needs of the patient and the concerned caregiver.

• The type of person who may be accessing the site may be desperate, thus need to find necessary information quickly. This site should answer their questions, otherwise point them in the right direction via other contacts and links.

• There is a place for feedback on the Home page, where one can fill out an online survey, to aid with the improvement of the site.