Evaluating Health Information on the Internet

A Class for ConsumersDeborah Farber

Libr 220

November 20, 2004

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

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

Types of Resources

Government-sponsored websites = .gov Non-profit organizations and groups =

.org Commercial businesses and companies =.com Educational institutions and organizations

= .edu

Government – Sponsored Websites

Medline Plus Health Finder Centers for Disease Control and Prevention State and county health agencies

Non-Profit Organizations

American Cancer Society American Medical Association American Academy of Pediatrics State and county medical associations Hospitals and libraries Private health organizations

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

Educational Institutions

University medical schools Johns Hopkins Harvard USC

Research centers Mayo Clinic City of Hope

Academic medical centers UCLA Cedars-Sinai

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

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

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

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

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

General Health & Wellness

Family Doctor

http://familydoctor.org/

Health Finder

http://www.healthfinder.gov

Net Wellnesshttp://www.netwellness.com

American Medical Association

http://www.ama.org

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

Conditions, Diseases & Disorders

Centers for Disease Control & Preventionhttp://www.cdc.gov

Mayo Clinichttp://www.mayoclinic.com/

Web MDhttp://www.webmd.com

City of Hopehttp://www.cityofhope.org

Support Groups and Organizations

Alzheimer’s Associationhttp://www.alz.org

Arthritis Foundationhttp://www.arthritis.org

American Cancer Societyhttp://www.cancer.org

American Heart Associationhttp://www.aha.org

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

Additional Resources

American Academy of Pediatrics: information about children’s healthwww.aap.org

First Gov for Consumers: a directory of websites related to general wellness, prescription drugs, women’s health, travel health, and mental healthhttp://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 Diseasehttp://www.mlanet.org/resources/userguide.html

National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine: consumer guide to alternative therapies, supplements, and finding practitionershttp://www.nccam.nih.gov

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