Transcript 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?
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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:
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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
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Government-sponsored websites = .gov
Non-profit organizations and groups =
.org
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Commercial businesses and companies =.com
Educational institutions and organizations =
.edu
Government – Sponsored Websites
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Medline Plus
Health Finder
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
State and county health agencies
Non-Profit Organizations
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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
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Healthcare management and insurance companies
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Information and news producers
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Kaiser Permanente
Blue Shield
Well Point
Webmd
Intellihealth
News organizations (CNN, CBS, NBC)
Pharmaceutical companies
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Pfizer
Merck
GlaxoSmithKline
Educational Institutions
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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?
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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?
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Search engines
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Directories
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Google
Yahoo
Open Directory Project
Health Web
Links from other organizations
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Libraries
Schools
Hospitals and medical centers
Medical organizations
Government agencies
Pitfalls of Search Engines
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Sponsored results
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Favor commercial businesses and organizations
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Paid advertisements
Paid placement in search results
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
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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
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Site offers claims that seem “too good to be
true”
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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
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Family Doctor
http://familydoctor.org/
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Health Finder
http://www.healthfinder.gov
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Net Wellness
http://www.netwellness.com
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American Medical Association
http://www.ama.org
Drugs & Supplements
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Medline Plus
http://medlineplus.gov
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Merck Manual of Medical Information, Second
Home Edition
http://www.merck.com/mmhe/index.html
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Intellihealth
http://www.intellihealth.com
Conditions, Diseases & Disorders
Centers for Disease Control & Prevention
http://www.cdc.gov
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Mayo Clinic
http://www.mayoclinic.com/
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Web MD
http://www.webmd.com
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City of Hope
http://www.cityofhope.org
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Support Groups and Organizations
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Alzheimer’s Association
http://www.alz.org
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Arthritis Foundation
http://www.arthritis.org
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American Cancer Society
http://www.cancer.org
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American Heart Association
http://www.aha.org
Conclusion
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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 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
Bibliography
AARP (March 17, 2003). Finding good health information online.
Retrieved September 7, 2004 from
http://www.aarp.org/health/Articles/a2003-0317wwwhealth.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