RIXG - diagnosis and treatment links
About information links for patients and medical staff on kidney diseases and treatments, from RIXG
Information links for the RIXG project to show patients' results online, Renal PatientView, are selected and reviewed by a panel of patients and a multiprofessional group of staff. The information is selected by the group, almost none of it has been written specially. Renal PatientView shows information in several categories:
- Information linked to diagnostic code - different links for each diagnosis, according to EDTA diagnostic code
- Information linked to treatment type (Haemo- or peritoneal dialysis, transplantation, none of these)
- Fixed links - listed as 'further information'. Some of these may be configured specifically for patients who are children (<18 years).
- Results links - information about tests such as urea, potassium, that is linked from the heading of each results column
- Information presented according to test results - e.g. severity of kidney failure, phosphate level, potassium level.
We have followed these principles in assembling links:
- High quality and appropriately informative for the intended audience
- Readable (e.g. for patient info Gunning-Fog index approx 8-10, about the level of 'most popular novels')
- From a trusted source
- Not associated with advertising
- Kept under review (preferably with dates as evidence)
At times we have found it impossible to provide top quality information without allowing these rules to be a little flexible. For example, we may reluctantly accept pages with unobtrusive advertising if this is thought not to be potentially misleading to readers, and information of equal quality cannot be found elsewhere. Some pages are more difficult to read than our ideal level for patients.