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Health Information

Search for Health Information

Evaluating Health Websites

There are hundreds of sites on the Internet which provide consumer health information. However, many of these come from unreliable sources, or they are out of date. Sometimes they are personal opinions of an individual, or they are from commerical organizations trying to sell a product. To make sure you are retrieving trustworthy and current information, be aware of the following questions when searching.

  • Who owns the site? Can you trust the source to give you reliable, unbiased information about health? Examples of reliable sources would be sites of medical schools, physicians groups, government, hospitals, universities, health libraries, etc. Look for a link which says "About Us" or even better, a Mission Statement. The name of the originator of the site will often be provided at the very bottom of the homepage.
  • Is the site current? A good site will generally provide a date when information was last added. Often this will be given either in the top right hand corner of the homepage, or again down at the very bottom.
  • Who is the intended audience? The site may be directed towards health professionals or medical students and contain a great deal of technical data and medical terminology. Or it may be directed at high school students, and be overly simple. Ensure that you are obtaining clear, accurate information at a level you can understand.
  • Is there advertising on the site? Be very wary of sites which contain advertising. The content may be biased to please the advertiser. There are exceptions - the Mayo Clinic site does contain some advertising but because of its undoubted authority and standard of excellence it is a recommended source.
  • Is the content accurate? Any study or survey presented should provide full information about the purpose, scope, author, location and date of the study. Do not trust statements like "a study shows such and such" when further information is not given.
  • Is the content biased? Make sure that the information is not slanted to support a particular idea or theory. If it is, then a disclaimer letting you know this should be provided. Also check for vested interests e.g. sites sponsored by a particular commercial organization.
  • Is the site well designed and easy to follow? Badly designed sites can cause you to miss vital information. If you are lost trying to navigate a site, look for a link to "Site Map.". This is often helpful as it should detail where to find what on the site. If a search engine is included at the site, make sure you are aware of its scope - sometimes they are very basic and may be misleading.
  • Are there a good set of links to other useful sites? Links to other sites can be very useful, provided the person or group making the selection has the authority and credentials to do so. If there are many "dead" links, i.e. to sites which no longer exist or have changed, be wary of the list. A good one should be constantly updated.