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Evaluating Health Information on the Internet

This course aims to equip consumers with essential skills for finding reliable health information online. With the vast amount of health resources available on the Internet, conflicting advice and dubious claims can be overwhelming. Participants will learn to identify trustworthy websites, recognize the types of health resources, and navigate search engines effectively. The course covers government, non-profit, and commercial websites, providing tips to avoid pitfalls in online searching. By the end, learned skills will help you make informed health decisions.

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Evaluating Health Information on the Internet

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  1. Evaluating Health Information on the Internet A Class for Consumers Deborah Farber Libr 220 November 20, 2004

  2. Why A Class On Evaluating Health Resources Online? • The explosion of health information available on the Internet • Conflicting health information and dubious claims • To help you find reliable, accurate, current health information fast

  3. What You’ll Learn In This Course: • Types of health care resources available on the Internet • How to recognize reliable health information and spot questionable advice • Which health websites are best • Where to find health information • Recognize the pitfalls of search engines

  4. Types of Resources • Government-sponsored websites = .gov • Non-profit organizations and groups = .org • Commercial businesses and companies =.com • Educational institutions and organizations = .edu

  5. Government – Sponsored Websites • Medline Plus • Health Finder • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention • State and county health agencies

  6. Non-Profit Organizations • American Cancer Society • American Medical Association • American Academy of Pediatrics • State and county medical associations • Hospitals and libraries • Private health organizations

  7. Commercial Businesses and Companies • Healthcare management and insurance companies • Kaiser Permanente • Blue Shield • Well Point • Information and news producers • Webmd • Intellihealth • News organizations (CNN, CBS, NBC) • Pharmaceutical companies • Pfizer • Merck • GlaxoSmithKline

  8. Educational Institutions • University medical schools • Johns Hopkins • Harvard • USC • Research centers • Mayo Clinic • City of Hope • Academic medical centers • UCLA • Cedars-Sinai

  9. What Kinds of Health Information Do These Resources Provide? • Tips for general wellness and health • Drug and nutritional supplement information • Information about conditions, diseases and disorders • Support groups and organizations • Current healthcare research, advisories and warnings • Online pharmacies and drug stores

  10. How Do I Find The Information? • Search engines • Google • Yahoo • Directories • Open Directory Project • Health Web • Links from other organizations • Libraries • Schools • Hospitals and medical centers • Medical organizations • Government agencies

  11. Pitfalls of Search Engines • Sponsored results • Paid advertisements • Paid placement in search results • Favor commercial businesses and organizations • Receive revenues from advertisers and sponsors • Easiest to remember and recognize • Difficult to eliminate irrelevant items from search results • Time consuming to locate needed information • Pages found are not checked for accuracy, bias and may not be current • Pages may become unavailable without notice

  12. Recognizing Reliable Health Information • Written and/or edited by healthcare professionals • Clearly stated purpose • Easy to identify the source of information • Regularly updated • Consistently available • Editorial and selection policies available • Accurate • Backed by scientific evidence, not opinion

  13. When To Use Caution • Site offers claims that seem “too good to be true” • Offers quick fix • Touted as a “medical breakthrough” • Site requires subscription or registration to access information • Contains outdated information • Demonstrates clear bias

  14. General Health & Wellness • Family Doctor http://familydoctor.org/ • Health Finder http://www.healthfinder.gov • Net Wellness http://www.netwellness.com • American Medical Association http://www.ama.org

  15. Drugs & Supplements • Medline Plus http://medlineplus.gov • Merck Manual of Medical Information, Second Home Edition http://www.merck.com/mmhe/index.html • Intellihealth http://www.intellihealth.com

  16. Conditions, Diseases & Disorders • Centers for Disease Control & Prevention http://www.cdc.gov • Mayo Clinic http://www.mayoclinic.com/ • Web MD http://www.webmd.com • City of Hope http://www.cityofhope.org

  17. Support Groups and Organizations • Alzheimer’s Association http://www.alz.org • Arthritis Foundation http://www.arthritis.org • American Cancer Society http://www.cancer.org • American Heart Association http://www.aha.org

  18. Conclusion • Many different types of Resources • Provide advice for improve general wellness, understand a variety of illness, find organizations and groups that provide support, advocacy and research • Can be found through search engines, directories and other organizations • Health information should be current, accurate, unbiased, supported by research, and written by health care professionals • Avoid websites that promise miracle cures or seem outdated

  19. Additional Resources American Academy of Pediatrics: information about children’s health www.aap.org First Gov for Consumers: a directory of websites related to general wellness, prescription drugs, women’s health, travel health, and mental health http://www.consumer.gov/health.htm Kidshealth.org: comprehensive guide to health, nutrition, fitness written in kid-friendly language. http://www.kidshealth.org Medical Library Association: annotated list of consumer health websites and recommended sites for Cancer, Diabetes and Heart Disease http://www.mlanet.org/resources/userguide.html National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine: consumer guide to alternative therapies, supplements, and finding practitioners http://www.nccam.nih.gov

  20. Bibliography AARP (March 17, 2003). Finding good health information online. Retrieved September 7, 2004 from http://www.aarp.org/health/Articles/a2003-0317-wwwhealth.html Federal Trade Commission (n.d.). Health claims on the internet: buyer beware. Retrieved September 7, 2004 from http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/online/features/healthclaims.htm Guzman, P. and Kukes, M. Ten tried-and-true health websites: where to get clear information on maladies from canker sores to cancer. Real Simple, 4, 18, 135. Harvard School of Public Health Center for Risk Analysis (n.d.). Health insight: taking charge of health information. Retrieved November 17, 2004 from http://www.health-insight.com Medline Plus (n.d.). Medline Plus guide to healthy web surfing. Retrieved September 7, 2004 from http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/healthywebsurfing.html

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