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There are no guarantees on the Web, but generally these
types of sites offer ethical, accurate and timely information:
Major hospitals and other local providers of health care
Look first to organizations you know and trust.
Most major hospitals, health care providers and schools of medicine offer
online health information resources that have been carefully reviewed.
These organizations have a good name to uphold, and you may already have
first-hand knowledge of the organization that can guide you in determining
the quality of the information.
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Strengths |
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Describes the scope of medical services
specifically offered at that sponsoring organization |
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Provides directions to the facility
and specific information so patients can use the facility |
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Provides links to physician referral
services |
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Weaknesses |
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May not include broad information on
general health topics. |
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Yale-New
Haven Hospital provides in-depth information and breaking news on
its Web site (www.ynhh.org) about
heart problems, cancer, children’s health and women’s health,
as well as information about support groups, hospital services and
how to be a better medical consumer. |
Health organization web sites
Sites sponsored by national nonprofit organizations
or hospital networks, such as the American
Cancer Society, the American
Heart Association, the American Lung
Association or LaurusHealth
combine current, reviewed information on medical advances along with helpful
patient tips. Because these organizations are often patient- and consumer-oriented,
the information is usually written in a clear and easy-to-understand fashion.
Some offer links to local chapters or hospitals and physicians who provide
support groups. Larger sites have started providing current news stories
related to the organization’s main area of interest, as well as interactive
information to help consumers determine health risks.
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Strengths |
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Provide reasonably
nonbiased information |
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Clear, patient-oriented
formats |
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One-stop shopping for
a wealth of information |
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Weaknesses |
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Smaller organizations
may have trouble updating their Web site or adding new content. |
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Sometimes the organizations
have less money to spend on site design, so as a result the sites
are not as easy to use. |
Government web sites
The sheer volume of health information available
from the federal government can be daunting, but if you are patient, or
know where to look, there’s a host of good, solid information.
You can depend on the fact that professionals have reviewed
information posted on government Web sites. However, when new information
is added, old information and reports sometimes stay. Check dates!
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Strengths |
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Can find reliable, up-to-date information
on any health topic for both the patient and health professional |
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Dates are always posted |
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Information on symptoms,
diagnosis, treatment and research is provided on a basic—as well
as a more advanced—level |
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Weaknesses |
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In some instances, government health-related
information is organized by individual agencies, which can be confusing |
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Information is geared to a national
rather than a local audience, therefore local service information
is lacking |
Commercial health sites
Many commercial health sites offer very good health
information. One should be alert, however, for sites whose advertisers
or sponsors may have an undue influence on site content. Popular commercial
health sites include intelihealth.com,
mayohealth.org, onhealth.com
and oncolink.org.
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Strengths |
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A broad offering of health information
and news |
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Disease-specific information is presented
in a packaged format |
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Generally good basic information on
major health concerns |
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Some offer online access to medical experts who will respond
to consumer inquiries
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Weaknesses |
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Readers should be aware of potential
bias |
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Little or no specific information about
accessing health resources in the consumer’s local community |
Media-sponsored sites
For information on medical news that is making
headlines, turn to one of the major news organizations, such as abcnews.com, cnn.com, or usatoday.com. These sites also offer timeless feature articles on health. The New York Times provides access to current articles with free registration, but charges a nominal fee for past articles. Reutershealth.com provides health news articles aimed at the educated consumer and health professional. It also offers free access to stories published within the past 30 days.
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Strengths |
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No
other source offers more current information |
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Easy-to-understand
format |
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Weaknesses |
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Less in-depth
reporting |
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Lack of
background information |
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Coverage
dictated by time constraints or what others are covering |
Physician-sponsored organizations
The American Academy
of Pediatrics, the American
Medical Association and other professional health organizations have
a vested interest in providing good information for patients on the Web.
A partial list of additional organizations with a Web presence includes
the American College of Cardiology,
American College of Sports Medicine
and the American Society of Clinical Oncology.
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Strengths |
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Information is accurate, up-to-date
and often in-depth |
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Many offer links to specialists in
your area |
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Many offer “policy statements”
or “position papers” that provide that organization’s
point of view on a current issue or controversy in medicine |
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Weaknesses |
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Great variation in information offered
for consumers. Some sites are well-organized and designed, while others
are hard to navigate. |
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Some organization sites contain copy
of interest only to members (such as conference dates or job opportunities).
Others may deny access to the general public. |
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