The Webmd Medical Group : Organization Analysis

I will compare the information available from two major online medical resources to see what type of audience they are targeting and how the information is communicated. The topic that I will be chosen is diabetes. The websites that I will be getting my sources are from Medicinenet (http://www.medicinenet.com/diabetes_mellitus/article.htm) and the CDC centers for disease control and prevention (http://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/home/index.html).

Mission statement: Our mission is to help people live healthier lives and to help make the health system work better for everyone.

WebMD.com is a organization that provides credible timely information for its consumers that matter the most. Doctors Micheal Smith, MD MBA, CPT (Chief Medical Editor ) Brunilda Nazario, MD, BC-ADM (lead medical Editor), Hansa Bhargava, MD (Medical Editor) Arefa Cassoobhoy, MD, MPH (Medical Editor) Works Closely with a team of over 100 nationwide doctors and health experts across a broad range of speciality areas to ensure WebMD's content is up to date according to WebMD's policies. WebMD's selection criteria is more reliable because it is based on Relevance, Clinical Significance, and seasonal interests. Its relevancy ranges from important ranging topics

Health and medicine are important for a society to run smoothly. The internet can be very dangerous. First of all, one does not know who is putting this information on the internet and many illnesses have similar symptoms but need different treatments. It is not always easy to decide what is reliable. 80% of internet users go online to find health related information. Many people rely and trust the internet which makes them sicker. When one is unhealthy, it leads to them not being able to perform their role in society and become exempt from normal obligations. Doctors play a vital role in keeping people healthy and productive in our society. People tend to believe what they read on the internet. But as we have learned

The objective of this study is to identify and evaluate a health-related website within the domain indicated as heart.org or heart.gov. This study will provide empirical evidence to support the website as a credible source for inclusion in a scholarly assignment.

This website also gives the patient the ability to receive advice from other patients and physicians. Social networking allows an organization the opportunity to increase knowledge. Websites like CareConnectix is one of many Internet resources that provide different links to information like blogs, videos, and recent health care news with ease and security (CareConnectix, 2010).

The growth of health care activities since then has truly encouraged patients to reach for information outside the confines of patient and physician interaction. Revolutionary new technology such as cell phones and computers, as well as the development of the Internet and social media sites, has served as where a vast majority of the public finds current knowledge for their problems.

Caveat lector is a Latin phrase meaning, “let the reader beware.” Health information on the internet is growing at an alarming rate. However, some information on the internet is not accurate or current, and unfortunately, many web sites regarding healthcare offer misleading, incomplete, and incorrect information. Many consumers do not have the knowledge to judge and evaluate the quality of online information. This paper aims to discuss how the website WebMD presents information to readers. It will evaluate WebMD according to its source, where was the source obtained; type of funding, is it commercially funded or private; the validity and quality, how valid is the information and can it be verified; and privacy, is your personal information

Looking ahead into the coming century and seeing that life is becoming only more complex and busier, the program attempts to make its plans as easy as possible and to customize them to people's lives. To that end, it presents tools and calculators to help their clients keep their health on track, as well as personalized health sites and personal assessments to help people know where they stand in terms of their health (http://www.uhc.com/health_and_wellness.htm). United Health Care realizes that people spend much of their time on eh Internet and some

The webpage seems to want to provide quality information to the user. There is a lot of information provided, so much that at times it doesn’t seem to flow well. At other times it was difficult or seemed time consuming to locate specific information. For example we can talk about the symptoms portion. From the main page you must scroll halfway down and select a link titled “Symptoms & Diagnosis” under the ADHD Guide section. From there the reader will be taken to a portion that is titled “Is it ADHD”. It provides four different subsections to choose from. Once the audience selects one of these four they will be taken to a page detailing the symptoms for the topic selected. These topics range from common symptoms to those displayed in adults. Once the reader does find the symptoms page they are spread across multiple continuation pages. The information could have been all placed on one webpage, but WebMD has decided to have a series of distracting, related content type links, at the bottom of each webpage. This is another issue that should be addressed. There is too many hyperlinks that are spread throughout the website. The hyperlinks surround the information the reader is trying to obtain. They can be found on both sides of the topic being researched, as well as the top and bottom. On the homepage alone about 22 links alone can be found on the right side. This can be very distracting for a

The mission statement or purpose of the American Health Information Management Association, (AHIMA) pertains to “leading the advancement and ethical use of quality health information to promote health and wellness worldwide; and leads the health informatics and information management community to advance professional practice and standards” (the

Since consumers are becoming more involved with their healthcare decisions, organizations and providers must adapt to consumer requisites and utilize independent resources to ensure the viability of their businesses. In 2008, a study reported that 81% of internet users and 66% of adults utilized online health information as a source for health related issues (Ha & Yun, 2011). Some examples of online health information resources comprised of search engines, organizational websites, and governmental agencies that participate in health related issues (Ha & Yun, 2011). By accessing health related information, consumers empower themselves with knowledge to assist in healthcare decisions and wellness management (Ha & Yun, 2011). As a result of consumers becoming better educated about healthcare, administrators must explore internet resources in order to maintain quality and services that is expected by consumers, and maintain the reputation of the organization.

Determining the credibility of a website starts with tools that can be used to evaluate the site. The National Library of Medicine (NLM) offers information defining how to evaluate websites credibility. Key factors such as; “Who runs and pays for the website, what the website’s purpose is, Where did the information on the site come from and how is

The information provided on this site is factual and can be used to educate the population. This web page is open to the public for viewing. I enjoy learning new information from this site to share with my students and patients.

More so, the usage of the Internet and other global media has expanded the ability of patients to have access to an enormous amount of information about diseased previously thought “too technical” requiring government policy that sought to limit the control and influence of physicians.