Caught in the Net? Finding reliable online health information

Written by: Roanne Weisman
Published: January 29, 2010
Reviewed by: Evelyn Corsini, MSW, January 2010

On a typical day, about eight million people type "pain" into an Internet search engine. Are you one of them? Do you sometimes feel overwhelmed at the amount of information on the Web? Face it, we’re living in an age of instant communication: We’re bombarded with "facts" (which may or may not be right) and suggestions (which may or may not be helpful) -- not just from the Web, but also from television, magazines, and newspapers. And we often hear well-meaning (but incorrect) advice from friends and family, too.

How to make sense of it all? How to sort out fact from fiction and find out what applies to you? We can't help with Aunt Sally's advice, or the information that you get from TV, magazines and newspapers, but we can still help you become a more Internet-savvy health consumer.

Finding the most reliable health websites

After typing your health-related question or topic into an Internet browser, you’ll see a list of relevant Internet sites. Instead of clicking on each link in order, begin by doing some screening. First, look at each site’s URL, which is the Internet “address” for the website. The most reliable sites end with ".gov" (for government agencies) and ".edu" (for universities and academic medical centers). You can also look for national organizations that provide information on the subject or condition in which you’re interested; URLs for these groups usually end with ".org." Just make sure that the websites are for nonprofit organizations, such as The American Cancer Society (www.cancer.org).

Along with these three types of Web addresses (.gov, .edu, and .org), there is also good information to be found on sites with other types of URLs (such as the website that you’re reading right now). You’ll need to visit the sites themselves as part of your screening process. Once you’re at each website, check for the following:

• Does the site give information for health consumers and not just for doctors and other medical professionals?
• Can you easily move around the site to find what you want?
• Is the website written in language that’s easy to understand?
• Is this an honest and upstanding organization? Try doing an Internet search on the name of the organization itself, to see if there have been any complaints or lawsuits against it.
• Is the site trying to sell a product to improve your health? If so, be careful! Watch out for companies that are selling medicine (especially drugs that would usually need a doctor’s prescription), or health-related devices. Some “health foods” or “natural” products could also put your health at risk. If you have questions about what you’re reading, always ask your health care provider for advice.

Judging Web-based information

Once you’re satisfied with the site(s) that you’ve found, look more closely at the information on each page:

• Is the information up-to-date? Look for a date at the bottom of each page, showing when the information was posted. If there’s no date, beware! It might be a sign of very outdated information, or a sloppy, untrustworthy Web site. 
• Does the information include facts, instead of just opinions or ranting? Are the website’s statements backed up with trustworthy references that can prove what the site is saying?
• Does the website quote from people who are experts on the subject? Even if there are no research studies to back up the website’s advice, there should be some other reliable sources for the information that you’re reading. Good options include trustworthy experts who are linked to major academic medical centers, or reliable/well-known research groups.

Protecting yourself

Even if a website is beautiful, well-organized, and easy to understand, its information and advice may simply be wrong for you: The suggestions may be useless or, in the worst case, actually harmful. An herb that’s recommended online, for example, may not be safe if you use it along with a prescription medicine that you’re taking. The best way to protect yourself is to speak with a health care provider whom you trust. It’s important for your provider to be aware of everything that you’re doing for your health. 

And be aware that too little information can sometimes be more dangerous than no information at all. Surfing the Web about a health problem that you’re having can often lead to a "do-it-yourself” diagnosis. Bear in mind that we hire our doctors or other health care providers for their expertise. They trained for years to properly diagnose illness: They should be your first stop on the way to understanding your health problem and finding the best treatment.

Getting started on the Web

If you decide to look on the Web for health information, here are some reputable websites to start you off:

• The Medical Library Association's User's Guide to Finding and Evaluating Health Information on the Web (see below for a link to this guide).
• MEDLINEplus is a consumer-oriented website established by the National Library of Medicine. It includes an online illustrated medical encyclopedia and dictionary (see below for a link to this site).
• For evidence-based information about alternative and complementary therapies, visit the website of the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM). NCCAM is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which itself has an excellent consumer health information website (see below for links to these sites).