This article was adapted from information on the website of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Millions of consumers are using the Internet to get health information. And thousands of Web sites are offering health information. Some of those sites are reliable and up-to-date; some are not. How can you tell the good from the bad?
First, it's important to carefully consider the source of information and then to discuss the information you find with your health care professional. These questions and answers can help you determine whether the health information you find on the Internet or receive by e-mail from a Web site is likely to be reliable.
Qs & As: Evaluating Internet Health Information
Who runs the Web site?
Any good health Web site should make it easy to learn who is responsible for the site and its information. Information about who runs the site can often be found in an "About Us" or "About This Web Site" section, and there's usually a link to that section on the site's home page.
What is the purpose of the Web site?
Is the purpose of the site to inform? Is it to sell a product? Is it to raise money? If you can tell who runs and pays for the site, this will help you evaluate its purpose. Be cautious about sites trying to sell a product or service.
What is the original source of the information on the Web site?
Always pay close attention to where the information on the site comes from. Many health and medical Web sites post information collected from other Web sites or sources. If the person or organization in charge of the site did not write the material, the original source should be clearly identified. Be careful of sites that don't say where the information comes from.
Good sources of health information include
- Sites that end in ".gov," sponsored by the federal government, like the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (www.hhs.gov), the FDA (www.fda.gov), the National Institutes of Health (www.nih.gov), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (www.cdc.gov), and the National Library of Medicine (www.nlm.nih.gov)
- .edu sites, which are run by universities or medical schools, such as Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and the University of California at Berkeley Hospital, health system, and other health care facility sites, like the Mayo Clinic and Cleveland Clinic
- .org sites maintained by not-for-profit groups whose focus is research and teaching the public about specific diseases or conditions, such as the American Diabetes Association, the American Cancer Society, and the American Heart Association
- Medical and scientific journals, such as The New England Journal of Medicine and the Journal of the American Medical Association, although these are not written for consumers and may be hard to understand.
- Sites whose addresses end in .com are usually commercial sites and are often selling products. However, many commercial sites do provide excellent health information. For example, the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal publish highly respected health content.
How is the information on the Web site documented?
In addition to identifying the original source of the material, the site should identify the evidence on which the material is based. Medical facts and figures should have references (such as citations of articles in medical journals). Also, opinions or advice should be clearly set apart from information that is based on research results.
How is information reviewed before it is posted on the Web site?
Health-related Web sites should give information about the medical credentials of the people who prepare or review the material on the Web site.
How current is the information on the Web site?
Web sites should be reviewed and updated on a regular basis. It is particularly important that medical information be current, and that the most recent update or review date be clearly posted. These dates are usually found at the bottom of the page. Even if the information has not changed, it is helpful to know that the site owners have reviewed it recently to ensure that the information is still valid. Click on a few links on the site. If there are a lot of broken links, the site may not be kept up-to-date.
What information about its visitors does the Web site collect, and why?
Web sites routinely track the path visitors take through their sites to determine what pages are being used. However, many health-related Web sites ask the visitor to "subscribe" or "become a member." In some cases, this may be done so they can collect a fee or select relevant information for the visitor. In all cases, the subscription or membership will allow the Web site owners to collect personal information about their visitors.
Many commercial sites sell "aggregate" data about their visitors to other companies—what percent are women with breast cancer, for example. In some cases, they may collect and reuse information that is personally identifiable, such as a visitor's ZIP code, gender, and birth date.
Any Web site asking users for personal information should explain exactly what the site will and will not do with the information. The Web site should spell this out in its Privacy Statement. Be sure to read and understand any privacy policy or similar language on the site, and don't sign up for anything you don't fully understand.
How does the Web site manage interactions with visitors?
There should always be a way for visitors to contact the Web site owners with problems, feedback, and questions. The Web site should provide contact information on its “Contact Us” page.
If the site hosts a chat room or other online discussion areas, it should tell its visitors about the terms of using the service. Is the service moderated? If so, by whom, and why? It is always a good idea to spend time reading the discussion without joining in before becoming a participant.
