Developing Methods to Evaluate Content Quality of Dementia Websites

Abstract

With the popularity of the Internet, consumers are likely to resort to websites for dementia information. However, they may not have the knowledge or experience in distinguishing quality information from opinion pieces. This study investigated the developing methods, instruments and parameters for evaluating the content quality of dementia websites. By reviewing 18 existing instruments from the relevant literature, we identified four developing methods - questionnaire survey, automatic evaluation, Delphi method and focus group discussion. These instruments include six parameters - reliability, currency, readability, disclosure, objectivity and relevance - to evaluate the content quality. With the significant social and economic impact of dementia, developing specific instruments to measure the content quality of dementia websites is necessary.