This study was done with the purpose to evaluate web-based information on accessing abortion services retrieved through internet searches in different jurisdictions from the perspective of service users. It was also done to provide a formative evaluative mechanism for enabling the user-focused design of abortion access information web pages.
Web searches were conducted using two search engines. 4 search terms were used and the first two pages of results were analyzed.
619 web pages in total were retrieved through initial searches, 83 of which related to accessing services; 22 pages were retrieved from the Republic of Ireland, 31 from Northern Ireland, and 30 from England. Fewer than a third were judged as good or excellent by the tool. The jurisdictional relevancy of information retrieved varied. Almost half of all results in each country provided information that was either inaccurate within or irrelevant to the jurisdiction where the search took place.
If online information is to support abortion access, the circumstances and perspective of the user require more attention. Designers of abortion information pages online need to ensure that information about access is relevant to the jurisdiction in which users are based.
Reference: https://srh.bmj.com/content/45/1/32
