The IHA has compiled a list of 10 common mistakes designers and content creators make when creating a health information site.

Full Article from IHA

Best Practices LLC has released a study regarding the use of oncology sites to promote brand equity and loyalty. Among other findings, the research identifies gaps between what physicians and patients want and what pharma companies provide. For instance, 74% of physician surveyed cited clinical trial information as very important, yet only 50% of companies provide this information online. A summary of the study can be downloaded for free here.

Full Article from PRNewswire

Marketing professionals talk about Brand.com development strategies, the needs and expectations of patients and physicians, and the fit of a branded site into overall marketing plans.

Full Article from MDNetGuide

A new study finds that while current life science websites performed well in website quality and presence, they lacked in accessibility.

Full Article from PharmaLive

A patient information site maintained by a physician husband and wife team is now as popular as the major NHS Direct Online. It is a site that patients trust and benefit from regarding quality health information.

Full Article by E-Health Insider

A recent study of 78 pharma and other healthcare websites gave them a 5.6 out of 10 rating for the online treatment of their customers. The sites scored lowest in responsiveness (answers to online inquiries) and highest on simplicity of presentation.

A very interesting study by Sliced Bread Design which looks into the differences between how consumers and health experts evaluate the credibility of health sites. The study showed that online consumers and experts diverge greatly in their credibility assessment criteria. Among other conclusions, the study found that "health experts assigned more credibility to health sites that provided information from reputable sources and cited the names and credentials of authors for each article published". The visual appeal of a site's design was far less important to experts than it was to consumers when assessing health site credibility. The top criteria for health experts were:

Based on the study results, the report recommends guidelines for designing credible health sites.

Read abstract and/or download PDF report here.