WEBSITES AS TOOLS OF PROMOTING HEALTH IN SOUTH EAST EUROPE
Author(s)
Tasic Lj, Miljkovic B, Velickovic R, University of Belgrade, Faculty of Pharmacy,Belgrade, Yugoslavia
Presentation Documents
The Internet is revolutionizing the structure and orientation of the healthcare market and drug producers, as well. This new mass media is valuable not only as a source of information for patients and healthcare providers but also as a platform for selling products and services (e-commerce). OBJECTIVES: The goal of this study is create a database of health websites originated from South East Europe (SEE), and determine the quality of information’s regarding the customer needs using the World Health Organization’s (WHO) standard. METHODS: The database, named @pluspharma, was constructed by an Internet search and an e-mail questionnaire. The quality of information was measured according to recommendation of WHO (a rating of 1 to 5). RESULTS: The database contains about 300 web addresses of useful sources of health and health business information. Of the six countries (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Yugoslavia, Macedonia, Romania), Romania showed the most (37 public health institutions and 26 public tools promoting health) Web health information sites. The most websites originated from the primary health care institutions, government body or pharmaceutical industry. Also, there is the numerous high quality health promotional website designed with specific task groups (example tobacco groups). Direct public communication is evident through about 60% of web sites. Websites of pharmaceutical industry and pharmacies marking with relatively high credit (3.89), compared with other health and service information’s (public and government health institution). The special task groups (usually evidenced as NGO) obtained high credit (4.74) of quality and valuable of Web information’s. CONCLUSIONS: Health-related websites from South East Europe are becoming good tools for health promotion in the SEE region.
Conference/Value in Health Info
2002-11, ISPOR Europe 2002, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Value in Health, Vol. 5, No. 6 (November/December 2002)
Code
PHP22
Topic
Patient-Centered Research
Topic Subcategory
Patient Behavior and Incentives
Disease
Multiple Diseases