How to Find Accurate and Reliable Health Information on the Internet

The internet has revolutionized the way patients get health information. No longer relegated to the medical library to seek out textbook information on rare conditions, we connect to a myriad of sites that answer our questions about prevention, treatment and support. However, it's necessary to separate the wheat from the chaff in our research. You must evaluate the credibility of the website and its information. Read on to learn more.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. Find out how often the website updates its content. Standard treatment options change as researchers share what they've learned from clinical trials with the medical community. The website should review its content at least monthly and provide updates as appropriate.
2. Learn produces the health content on the website. The website must separate established facts from speculation and opinion. The anecdotes and testimonials of patients should not form the basis of the website's content.
3. Know who reviews the information before it's included on the website. The information can come from a scholarly journal, but the people putting together the website can take this information out of context if they don't have a medical background.
4. Look at the last three letters of the url. If the website address ends in ".com," you are visiting a commercial site whose interest it is to sell products or services. Websites ending in ".edu" or ".gov" mean you're looking at a research or government sponsored site.
5. Investigate the purpose of the website. Commercial websites can be valuable health information providers, but they should disclose their affiliations with pharmaceutical companies, for example, if they're touting a particular drug of choice.
6. Be skeptical of websites that claim to have a secret or miraculous cure doctors don't know about. Researchers follow ethical codes and don't keep cures a secret. They share them with the medical community so all can benefit.

Who Can Help: