Searching for health information on the Internet often leads to thousands of websites and a substantial amount of information that is not regulated. It is important that you and your loved ones are getting credible, reliable, and quality information when learning and/or finding more information on a particular health topic.
Use the following quick tips when evaluating health information on the Internet.
Who is the creator and/or responsible for the website? Is it a well-known credible and authoritative source? Are they trustworthy?
Look for a logo on the website or try the “about us” section so you can identify authorship. Look for resources published by the government, ministries, public health, municipalities, hospitals, education institutions, etc.
Does the information get reviewed before it is posted? Who reviews/authors the information before it is posted? Is there an editorial board? Is the information reliable? Are there grammatical or spelling errors?
Look for information about who the writers are. This may be on the “about us” section or “review policy” section of the website. Also, look to see if the information is of quality by checking for references, bibliographies, and footnotes to other secondary sources or evidence. Check to see if information is from highly authoritative journal sources in the health sciences. Look for medical research, not testimonials.
What is the purpose of the website? Is it to push an opinion or advertisements? Who pays for the website?
Look at how information is provided on the website. See if it is clear that content is coming from commercial or non-commercial sources. If one opinion is being pushed over another, look at additional sources to stay informed.
How current is the information? Is the information published recently?
Check for a last updated stamp on the bottom of the website for currency. Look for broken links, if they are broken or do not work, the website is most likely not updated regularly.
For more information to help you evaluate health information on the Internet, please see the following websites: