Mayo Clinic Credibility

Evaluating a Website for Credibility
Anita M. Ebbinghausen
Chamberlain College of Nursing
NR 500: Foundational Concepts and Application
Spring 2014

Evaluating a Website The internet is one of the primary sources for peoples looking for medical information in the twenty-first century. Our goal is to evaluate the quality, reliability, credibility and choose a search engine on the World Wide Web. Our choice of a search engine is Google this will provide the direct link http://www.mayoclinic.org/. The Mayo Clinic is an organization that inspires hope to peoples seeking information while contributing to the health and well-being of all. The Mayo Clinic uses education, research, providing empathy, sensitivity,
and dignity to the whole being. As a nurse, our sensitivity to the needs of our patients is decisive, so using a credible websites is supreme to the integrity of the healthcare profession. Credibility in our profession establishes trust among colleagues, patients, and the organization.
The Mayo Clinic (2014) “has been training medical professionals from throughout the world for more than 100 years” (p. 1). Although our research will begin by gathering data on evaluating websites, empirical evidence, application of nursing, while providing analysis through facts, it would be beneficial for websites to optimize information and keep peoples capabilities in mind, as our findings conclude we will be revealing sources for in a scholarly manner. Evaluation of the Website
As we consider the needs and literacy our the peoples, we will begin gathering our information and researching the Mayo Clinic to reveal the findings of how this organization decides on peoples and teams to best accommodate the needs of the website and the peoples who visit. The authority of the Mayo Clinic has several experts in the fields who qualify to provide information from a team of web professionals, medical reviewers, to guarantee precise, applicable and actionable intelligence to provide site visitors with avenues of knowledge, experience, and service of the Mayo Clinic. The
organization enlists communication professionals trained in journalism, creative writing, health education, editors with at least 5 years publishing experience, and medical editors who dedicate time to the sites credibility “governmental sites, medical associations and medically related independent nonprofit sites” (product & development policy, p.3). Because this site is educational, health, and research related it has several advertising and sponsorship. Though they must follow strict criteria such as; fitness products or services, medical products or devices, or consumer products with a health condition. Advertising or sponsors that are prohibited are ones that collect personal data from visitors on the website “the foundation for the Mayo Clinic.com does not endorse any companies or products” (advertising and sponsorship, p.3). While the web has advertising through the pages it does not interfere with the ease of navigation. Performing searches throughout this site is as easy as typing a name of a disease, question, symptom, or treatment. The information loads quickly and functional, even to peoples who might not have computer literacy and a less than fast internet speed. In addition, the Mayo Clinic understands and respects the privacy of the visitors and do not “collect information that would personally identify you unless you choose to provide it” (privacy & policy, p.1). The website does not share to third parties or other organizations only uses information within their establishment. Empirical Evidence Within the establishment of the Mayo Clinic there is clear proof that the organization uses empirical evidence for research and articles. Throughout the database it establishes and maintains procedural responsibilities The Federalwide Assurance (FWA), the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability of 1996 (HIPPA), & Institutional Review Board (IRB). All these committees are held accountable for compliance according to the Mayo clinic “this process includes an authorization agreement with Mayo Clinic either for a single research study or for multiple research studies” (2014) rights and welfare is guided by and governed the institute of fairness and research benefits. Application to Nursing Practice The significant of a professional nurse evaluating information on the internet is to ensure the knowledge the patient is receiving or reading is easy to access and intelligible. To describe the challenges that nurses face begins with the overwhelming internet body itself. Nurses have many uses for the World Wide Web, but we will limit our discussion to three. Our first topic discussion is how the internet stimulates critical thinking and generates a fruitful discussion within resources for a nurse. The stimulation of critical thinking promotes an exchange of ideas and creates confidence that ensures evidence-based practice decisions is being made within the work environment. Health competence is defined as the “capacity to obtain, interpret, and understand basic health information and services and the competence to use such information and services to enhance health” (Hansberry, Suresh, Agarwal, Heary, & Goldstein, 2013). It is crucial that nurse is intelligible and comfortable using the internet, so they have the ability to direct peoples to the proper and credible databases. This will give peoples the educational material needed to assist in answering questions and feel comfortable to frequent the sites. Our second subject of interest will focus of educational materials. Educational material is extremely important for clients to have a tangible source of knowledge to effectively use the web. Because if people find things too complicated they become frustrated and tend not to use and will turn to alternative methods to obtain advice. Our final proposition will be on current medical release. Medical information is constantly being updated and through the benefits of the internet nurses have the ability to stay current with the ever changing evidence-based practice. Website with the suffix of .org, .edu, and .net are credible and reliable sources that nurses can turn to for guidance and continuing education. Conclusion With the technology of the internet it has changed the way people obtain quality, reliable, and credible sources.
The Mayo Clinic provides quality team members from a variety of professional fields of expertise. In addition, the organization has been around for over a hundred years. The Mayo Clinic inspires peoples who seek medical, educational and researchable information through a team of professional experts that guarantee precise, applicable, and intelligible source of information “it remains an important and valuable source of information for patients and healthcare providers” (Soobrah, R., & Clark, S. (2012) while only allowing certain level of sponsors or advertisers. Moreover, the website is user-friendly and allows beginners’ the confidence to functionally stroll throughout their pages with the assurance of knowing their privacy and security are safe. Furthermore, nurses have the ability to trust this site and confidently refer clients to use for educational materials, resources, and current medical information. Our research revealed sources in a scholarly manner and informed our audience of the contributing factors that the Mayo Clinic offered to all who
visit.

References:
Donkor, N. T., & Andrews, L. D. (2011). 21st century nursing practice in Ghana: challenges and opportunities. International Nursing Review, 58(2), 218-224. doi:10.1111/j.1466 77657.2010.00856.x Hansberry, D. R., Suresh, R., Agarwal, N., Heary, R. F., & Goldstein, I. M. (2013). Quality assessment of online patient education resources for peripheral neuropathy. Journal Of The Peripheral Nervous System, 18(1), 44-47. doi:10.1111/jns5.12006 Soobrah, R., & Clark, S. (2012). Your patient information website: how good is it? Colo-rectal Disease: The Official Journal of the Association of Colo-proctology of Great Britain and Ireland, 14(3), e90-e94. doi:10.1111/j.1463-1318.2011.02792.x http://www.mayoclinic.org