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Evaluating Health Information on the Internet

Evaluating Health Information on the Internet. A Class for Consumers Deborah 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

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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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