International Journal of Healthcare Delivery Reform Initiatives, 1(2), 1-24, April-June 2009 1
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abstraCt
Medical information is readily online to patients, family’s doctors and others in search of enhanced or
supplementary information arising from healthcare concerns. To a large extent, this information varies
greatly in terms of information quality and depending on the healthcare information source, is often in-
complete. This study used an indirect qualitative analysis of the information completeness of 31 Indoor Air
Quality (IAQ) checklists using CATPAC and found that these sources differed in both the depth and breathe
of information provided. We suggest that users of healthcare information may be underserved and that
healthcare information providers might act in a more collaborative way to better balance the presentation
of their information in terms of depth and breathe of presented content. [Article copies are available for
purchase from InfoSci-on-Demand.com]
Keywords: CATPAC; Checklists; Healthcare Information; Indoor Air Quality (IAQ); Information
Completeness; Information Quality; Qualitative Research
iNtroDUCtioN
Healthcare providers, patients, family, and
friends are increasingly seeking medical in-
formation to discover, research, and evaluate
the credibility of healthcare information found
on the web, informational pamphlets, books,
magazines, and advice from healthcare pro-
fessionals (Kang, Yoo, & Ko, 2006). The easy
availability of healthcare information online
has led to concerns over the quality of health
information rather than the way in which users
interact with health information systems (Wil-
liams, Nichols, Huntington, & McLean, 2002).
Poor quality or incomplete information may lead
to discomfort, a wrong diagnosis, confusion, or
perhaps death in extreme cases (Ammenwerth
& Shaw, 2005; Smith, Wilson, & Henry, 2005).
Users of healthcare information often evaluate
the attributes of information quality in terms of
the timeliness, accuracy, and completeness con-
tained in the message (Cline & Haynes, 2001;
Shankaranarayanan & Yu, 2006) but often see a
high degree of information variability (Lindars
& Spickett, 2000). While critical thinking skills
are important in evaluating the timeliness and
information Completeness:
a Qualitative analysis of indoor
air Quality (iaQ)
Gary Hackbarth, Northern Kentucky University, USA
John McQuade, J.P. Morgan, USA
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This paper appears in the publication, International Journal of Healthcare Delivery Reform Initiatives, Volume 1, Issue 2
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