title: Development and evaluation of an educational website for adults with cystic fibrosis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The high prevalence of internet use among adults with cystic fibrosis (CF) provides an opportunity for healthcare professionals to use the internet as a tool for patient education. The Toronto Adult Cystic Fibrosis website was developed, implemented, and evaluated (www.torontoadultcf.com).
  
  
  METHODS
  The website structure and content were developed following a needs assessment questionnaire. The website was evaluated with a satisfaction survey and through examination of compliance to American Medical Association (AMA)'s guidelines for health information sites.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Users showed a high prevalence of internet usage (98.7%), described a need for more information about CF and provided content suggestions. A satisfaction survey revealed that CF patients compose the highest proportion of site users (57.5%), and users perceive the site as useful, with a mean score of 4.3 on a five-point satisfaction scale. Key areas for improvement have been identified. Website compliance with AMA guidelines was excellent at 80%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The Toronto Adult CF website provides needed information for our patients. Future directions include ongoing improvement of the website as a patient resource and assessment of the ability of the website to improve patient knowledge and outcomes.
authors: St. Michael's Hospital, Division of Respirology, University of Toronto, Canada. Electronic address: ananda@smh.ca.
authors: Anju
authors: A
authors: Anand
authors: St. Michael's Hospital, Division of Respirology, University of Toronto, Canada.
authors: Elizabeth
authors: E
authors: Tullis
authors: St. Michael's Hospital, Division of Respirology, University of Toronto, Canada.
authors: Anne
authors: A
authors: Stephenson
authors: University of Waterloo Cooperative Education Summer Student, Canada.
authors: Preyanka
authors: P
authors: Abhyankar
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002170:Canada; D003550:Cystic Fibrosis / Q000523:psychology*; D003625:Data Collection; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology; D017408:Guidelines as Topic; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D020380:Needs Assessment; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards*; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000592:standards
keywords: Adult; Cystic fibrosis; Development; Evaluation; Web-based patient education