Locating and Evaluating Health Information on the Internet

Return to Optimal Health Concepts or HHP 320 Syllabus

Finding Health Information
Important links Related to the Evaluation of Health/Medical Web sites
Evaluating Health/Medical Information on the Internet

The Internet has become an increasingly popular venue for locating health related information. According to a recent Harris poll (UPI, 1999), sixty million people searched the World Wide Web for health care information in the last 12 months. This accounted for 68 percent of the 88 million people on-line that used the Internet in the last 12 months. The majority of these respondents reported searching for healthier information related to a particular disease or medical condition. The Internet is supplying access to a virtual community of health support groups and health information providers never before available.

Although the volume of health information available on the Internet is without dispute, the quality of much of the information is questionable.  The process of evaluating health related Web pages can be summarized into four areas: Authorship, Purpose, Currency, and Scientific Validity. One must first decide if the author, or authors are qualified to offer health related information. Virtually anyone can publish a Web page, but that does not assure that everyone has the specialized training necessary for the responsible communication of health information. Author/s credentials and qualifications should be available on a health or medical Web page so that one can assess how qualified the individual is to provide health information.  At times even reputable sources can provide 

Another criteria for Website evaluation involves the purpose of the page. One must ask, are the page producers trying to sell a product, service, or political point of view? The reader must determine what biases are evident and how these may effect the content that is being presented. As an example, most of the information available on the Internet about nutritional supplements is provided by those who sell nutritional supplements.

The third criteria for evaluation concerns how old the material is. People often assume that information provided on the Internet is the most current available. Unfortunately, health information changes rapidly (e.g., treatment for those who are HIV+) and those who post material are not always diligent at updating a page once it is posted. A recent investigation (McClung, Murray & Heitlinger, 1998) found that Web pages from seemingly reputable sources (i.e., medical training hospitals) occasionally provided misleading and out of date health information. Quality sites will date the origin of the page and also when it was last updated, so that readers can better evaluate the currency of information.

The consumer of health information must most importantly attempt to evaluate the scientific validity of the health information. This may be difficult for the lay individual who has not been trained in research design or statistical methods, however general common sense can be helpful in determining if the material has logical origins. Having knowledge of how a study was conducted is crucial in determining if information and recommendations are valid.  As and example, the reader should be able to determine if the study was a clinical trial involving humans or an animal study, was it basic laboratory research or an epidemiological study that was looking for associations?  What was the sample size of the study and are the conclusions consistent with the methodology.  An excellent article on "How to Understand and Interpret Food and Health-Related Scientific Studies" is provided at this link.  At the very least a page that provides citations from peer reviewed journals and other reputable sources is one way to assure the validity of its information.

One advantage of the Internet is that it does provide an easy means of searching for corroborating evidence.  Individuals should not base future health action on recommendations from any one source.  The resources highlighted above make it relatively easy to find additional sites that either support or refute the health information provided on a Web page.  A comparison of information and sources should allow one to make healthier choices.  As in all things "Caveat Emptor" let the buyer beware. 

References:

UPI (1999). Harris Poll: Most Net users want health info. Taylor, H. (1999) Explosive growth of a new breed of "cyberchondriacs". (Press Release), Louis Harris & Associates, February 11, 1999, New York, pp 1-6.

McClung, J. H., Murray, R. D., & Heitlinger, L. A. (1998). The Internet as a Source for Current Patient Information. Pediatrics. 101(6): e2.
 

Written by Ernesto A. Randolfi, Ph.D.
Last updated 9-2-03

A version of this article co-authored with Bill Hettler, MD was published in the 1999 Summer Issue of AWHP's Worksite Health

Published article on: Teaching Online Consumer Health Skills

Important links Related to the Evaluation

of Health/Medical Websites

     Checklist for Evaluating Health Information on the Web
     Health Information Online: FDA Consumer
     How to Understand and Interpret Food and Health Related Scientific Studies (IFIC)
     Teaching Online Consumer Health Skills (Cool article)
     Tips on Evaluating Web Resources (NN/ML)
     Tufts University Nutrition Navigator
     HON Code of Conduct (HONcode) for medical and health Web sites http://www.hon.ch/HONcode/Conduct.html
 
 
Finding Health Information

Resources used to locate information on the Internet are constantly evolving. Some common directories, search engines, search directories, and research indexes include the following:
 

General Health Information Web Sites (Some of these have searchable indexes)


Health News (Dailies)


Health Specific Searches and Directories?

For information on they various search engines/directories and how they work contact SeachEngineWatch.com

Directories


Search Engines


Multi-Thread Search Services


Search Engine Directories


Copyright © 1999-2002 Optimal Health Concepts, all rights reserved.

Return to Top of Page

Return to Optimal Health Concepts Home Page