Pollock JR, Moore ML, Smith JF, Woolstenhulme JB, Markham DJ, Rhees JR, Poole K, Pollock NT, Patel NP. Content and Functionality of United States Medical School Websites.
Cureus 2021;
13:e15534. [PMID:
34268052 PMCID:
PMC8266258 DOI:
10.7759/cureus.15534]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction
Most medical school applicants use the internet as a source of information when applying for medical school. Previous analyses have evaluated residency and fellowship websites; however, an in-depth analysis of medical school websites is lacking.
Methods
We evaluated 192 United States (US) medical school websites for presence or absence of 39 items relevant to medical school applicants. Items fell into seven general categories: curriculum, research, demographics of incoming class, admissions information, faculty, financial aid, and social.
Results
Of the 192 websites evaluated (152 allopathic and 40 osteopathic schools), websites contained a mean of 23 items (59%) with a standard deviation of 4.2 items.
Conclusion
Our study examining US medical school websites revealed a lack of online information for medical school applicants. As medical school interviews transition to being online during the COVID-19 pandemic, the importance of the medical school website to applicants becomes increasingly crucial. The information contained in our study could be used to improve the functionality and quality of information on medical school websites, which could help both applicants and the medical schools themselves.
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