Evaluation criteria for pharmacoeconomic and health economic Internet resources

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to present criteria for evaluating Internet sites and supply a selective sample of sites that may be useful in improving the transfer of information and diffusion of innovation in pharmacoeconomics and health economics. The nine criteria deal with the following: 1) Expertise – Qualified individuals should generate the information2) Confidentiality – All patient data should be confidential and protected3) Referencing – Information should be supported with proper citations4) Justification – Rigorous evidence should support the claims relating to benefits, risks and costs of any intervention or service5) Authorship – provided in the clearest manner with contact addresses6) Sponsorship – Support for sites should be clearly identified7) Advertising & Editorial Policy – Advertising should be distinguishable from other informational content8) Study Evaluation – should comply with the standard economic evaluation checklists 9) Generalizability – Sites should define their target countries and audiences and discuss potential generalizability

• checklist
• decision support
• evaluation criteria
• health economics
• Internet
• resources
• software
• technology
• websites