How to find Reliable Health Information on the Internet

Reprinted with permission from the National Women's Health Resource Center. 1-877-986-9472 (toll-free). On the Net at http://www.healthywomen.org
 

Here are some timesaving tips for searching the Web for health Information:

• Type three or more key words into a search engine.  "Cancer " is too broad if you want to read about side effects of a particular chemotherapy drug.  It's better to include a specific type of cancer, the name of the chemotherapy drug (or at least "chemotherapy") and "side effects"
• Use a metasearch.  Metasearching allows you to search using multiple search engines or search within multiple Websites simultaneously.  Search.com (http://www.search.com), for example, has a Web page that will let you conduct a customized metasearch within several health sites at once.
• Read privacy policy statements.  Responsible health sites include these.  You can also look for the white and green TRUSTe "trustmark", which many, but not all, responsible health sites have.  The TRUSTe trustmark should link to the site's privacy statement.  The trustmark implies that the Website discloses, among other things, what personal information is being gathered about you and how the information will be used.
• Use sources you know.  If a particular institution or organization has a good reputation, chances are its Website will provide accurate and timely information.
• Favor Web addresses that end in .gov, .org and .edu.  U.S. government health agency sites, like www.healthfinder.gov, are comprehensive, reliable, usually very current and carry prestige.  Sites ending in ".org" (sponsored by nonprofit organizations) and ".edu" (official Websites of universities and medical schools) can also be very worthwhile.  Some commercial Websites (those ending in ".com") can be very good, too.  However, their content can be biased toward a particular product, procedure or viewpoint.  Some notable exceptions: iVilliageHealth (http://iVilliagehealth.com), WebMD (http://www.webmd.com) and Mayo Clinic (http://www.mayoclinic.com)
• Compare and contrast.  If you find the same facts across several Websites, there is a greater chance those facts are trustworthy.
• Trust your first impression.  Look for a professionally designed Web page that's easy to navigate and is updated at least once a year.  Responsible Web masters typically post the date last updated at the bottom of their Web Pages.  Articles should be well written and supported with reasonably current references to peer-reviewed journal articles, books, conferences and other authoritative sources.
• Use common sense.  If what you read online seems too good to be true, it probably is.  Use the same level of skepticism and consumer savvy you bring to bear when reading magazine ads or watching TV commercials.