Qualitative Assessment of Iranian Hospital Websites Using WebQEM Method

Background and Objectives: Today, hospital websites are used as a communication tool in many countries of the world. The purpose of the present study is to evaluate the quality and ranking of websites in governmental. Methodology: This is an applied evaluative study. The research method is a combination of a descriptive survey and the Delphi Technique. Eighty-seven active websites out of ۱۵۶ websites approved by the Ministry of Health and Medical Education were selected as the sample of the study. Data was collected using data mining tool developed by Olsina et al. The validity and reliability of the tool has, however, been confirmed in previous studies (α = ۰.۸۲). Descriptive statistics was used to analyze the statistical data and Excel was used for data analysis. Findings: The evaluation of hospital websites using the four criteria in WebQEM showed that the studied websites were very desirable in terms of the performance score of ۰.۲۴۴, very desirable in terms of efficiency with a score of ۰.۱۶۳, very desirable in terms of reliability with a score of ۱۶۲.۰, and desirable in terms of usability with a score of ۰.۲۱۹. The hospital websites evaluated by WebQEM were in desirable status based on the main criteria; however, they were in undesirable status in terms of secondary criteria, which requires reviewing and improving the conditions. Discussion: The results of this study can be attributed to the nature of WebQEM method. However, for a more precise evaluation of websites in Iranian hospital, it seems necessary to consider it from the viewpoint of users (patients and doctors).

Keywords:

Websites , Hospitals , WebQEM , Qualitative Assessment Methods