How to Find and Evaluate Health Care Information on the Internet

When you need health care information, how can be you find accurate and honest information among the millions of pages about health?

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• a web browser

Search, Evaluate, Judge Reputations

1. 
   This advanced search is only for domains using .gov and must include both words

   Make use of the know reliable health information tools such as MEDLINEPIus, Healthfinder, and Kids Health.
   
   If you search with Google or Yahoo, use the advanced search options to narrow down your results.

2. If you want social support as well as medical facts, find reliable sites that have group support features. Three such are iMedix, Healthline, and Daily Strength.

3. Major diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and heart disease often have a plethora of sites specific to a particular health issue. You are probably familiar with the names of some of the most reputable sites such as the American Cancer Society, the American Diabetes Association, and the American Heart Association.

4. Make sure you can tell who owns a site. Who is responsible for the information?

5. Be careful of sites where the only purpose of the site is to sell you something. You want a site where the main purpose is to provide quality information. It's also good to find a site that is right out in the open about where they get their information.

6. Sites that end in .gov or .edu may be more reliable. The .gov sites, such as the National Institutes of Health at hih.gov are usually trustworthy. Sites that end in .edu are often university sites. This includes sites like the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and other sites connected to institutions that you know have a good reputation.

7. Check to see if the information is current.

8. Check to see what the site's policy is about linking to other sites. Do they make sure the link will lead to quality information before they provide it to you as a suggestion?

9. Is the information presented in a clear factual manner? You don't want opinions, you want proven information. And it's best if there is a source mentioned about where that factual information actually came from.

Resources

• MEDLINEPIus
• Healthfinder
• Kids Health
• National Insitutes of Health
• Buying Medicines and Medical Products Online
• iMedix
• Healthline
• Daily Strength
• American Cancer Society
• American Diabetes Association
• American Heart Association

[Veesites]

on 12/13/2007 Ah, excellent advice, Liz. I had pictured people going to the Internet for information after a diagnosis by a doctor. Doing it the other way around doesn't sound like a good idea.

[lizvelrene]

on 12/12/2007 Good advice, and many useful links. Remember that the internet is no substitute for your own doctor - I work with doctors and they are increasingly frustrated with the way that people diagnose themselves on the internet and come in wanting treatment before the doctor even looks at them! Ideally, the information you find on the internet will supplement the conversation that you have with your health care providers.