Rebekah Reed
Chamberlain College of Nursing
NR500: Foundation Concepts and Applications
Fall 2012
Evaluating a Website for Credibility With so many health-related websites on the internet it was hard to choose one. I settled on one that is personal to me and that I do a lot of teaching on with patients. I chose American Diabetes Association at www.diabetes.org. This website is found by searching any of the search engines. This website has both a consumers and professional page. Diabetes is on the rise in the nation and to have a source that has reliable information for patients is a necessity.
EVALUATING WEBSITE Evaluating this website for authority was a little cumbersome. The website gives you access to news and research where information on the author and publication is listed. There is a section for communication and discussion boards as well. The majority of information is organized by tabs, ie: living with diabetes, food and fitness, etc. There is no author on these pages, but you can find information by going to tab about us page. The purpose of this website is to give consumers objective information both education and for entertainment use. The American diabetes association is an associated started in the U.S. to help those affected by diabetes. You as a consumer are able to donate in various ways to help support the research. The website assists you in finding your local chapter and events that are happening in your geographical area. The site provides basic information regarding diabetes and care of the disease.
The ease of navigation is very user friendly. I enlisted my twelve year old son and mother who is in her late sixties. I asked each to find the page that gave users information on finger sticks. Both were able to find the information with relative ease. Graphics are loaded quickly and links are functioning. A nice feature I found on this website is the ability to click on an icon
References: Overman VP; Website Review: American Diabetes Association. International Journal of Dental Hygiene, 2006 Feb; 4 (1): 55 (journal article - website) ISSN: 1601-5029 Evert, A., March, S., Powers, M.; Use of Internet Technology to Support Nutrition and Diabetes Self-Management Care. Diabetes Spectrum, 2008 April; 21 (2) 91-99