Are Concerns and Needs of Parents Addressed? An Analysis of Cerebral Palsy Agencies Websites in Australia

Quality and reliability of online health related information are some of the challenges faced by online health information seekers. This study proposes the consideration of criteria in meeting clients´ needs when evaluating health websites. An investigation of website content of cerebral palsy agencies in Australia was conducted to determine whether the content presented meets the needs of parents´ concerns identified in the cerebral palsy literature. The results show that these websites do provide sufficient quality information to help parents of children with cerebral palsy. Outcome of this research informs website designers on the importance of deploying information that aids information seekers to gain knowledge and help in decision making. This paper highlights the importance of health websites functioning as knowledge brokers and success of the website is therefore contextually dependent on meeting users´ needs. It is proposed to include the role of a content analyst in the content management team to act as a key partner liaising with a content expert and the content management team to ensure effective content deployment.