Finding Accurate and Reliable Health Information on the Internet

What We Will Cover Today Evaluating online health information Finding online health information – MedlinePlus – NIH Senior Health – Agency for Healthcare Quality and Research: Questions are the Answer Using Health Information 2

Disclaimer Online health information is in no way meant to substitute medical advice from a medical professional 3

Online Health Information 10 million Americans go online each day to search for health information 66% do not review the quality of the source 66% did not talk to a doctor about the information 50% of health searches have an impact on the person’s health care Source: Fox. Online Health Search Pew Internet & American Life Project. 4

Health Information on the Internet High quality health information is freely and easily available on the Internet Inaccurate and misleading information is also freely and easily available on the Internet 5

Evaluating Online Health Information  Consider the Source – Who is responsible for the content? – Is there an “about us” page?  Focus on Quality – Are the authors or editors experts in the subject? – How is the information selected or approved?  Look for the Evidence – Does the site identify the author? – Does it cite references for more information? 6

Evaluating Online Health Information  Check for Currency – Is the information current? – Can you tell when the site was last updated?  Beware of Bias – Who is sponsoring the site? – Are they trying to sell you something? Source: MedlinePlus Guide to Healthy Web Surfing: 7

Evaluating Online Health Information  Protect Your Privacy – Does the site have a privacy policy? – Does it ask you to provide personal information?  Be a Cyberskeptic – Does the website make claims that seem too good to be true? – Are quick, miraculous cures promised? 8

MedlinePlus Description: Health information website that brings together quality information from government agencies and health-related organizations. Features: Medical encyclopedia and dictionary, drug and supplement information, interactive tutorials, easy-to-read materials, resources in multiple languages, surgery videos Web Address: 9

Now It’s Your Turn! Go to Use the search box to look up information on a disease of condition You may also want to try: – Looking at drug and supplement information – Watching an interactive tutorial 10

NIH Senior Health Description: A health information website developed especially for older adults. It contains information, videos, quizzes and frequently asked questions on 43 aging-related health topics. Features: Adjustable text size, contrast function to make text more readable, talking function that will read aloud the text on the screen. Web Address:

Now It’s Your Turn! Go to NIH Senior Health: Navigate your way through a Health Topic You may also want to try: – Enlarging the text – Turning on the contrast feature 12

Agency for Healthcare Quality and Research Questions are the Answer Description: A website to help patients take an active role in their health care by asking questions, understanding their conditions, and evaluating their options. Features: A Build Your Question List feature allows you to create a custom list of questions to print and take with you to your next appointment. Web Address:

Now It’s Your Turn! Go to Use the Build Your Own List of Questions tool to create a list related to: – Getting new prescription – Receiving a diagnosis – Considering a new treatment – Having medical tests 14

Good Information in Practice Share the information and any concerns you may have with your health care provider Don’t be afraid to ask questions Being better informed about your health issues allows you to communicate more effectively with your health care provider 15

16 Questions?

Created By: Anne Beschnett, MLIS Outreach Librarian University of Minnesota Health Sciences Libraries Additional health literacy resources are available from the Minnesota Health Literacy Partnership Website at: Last Updated: August 3, 2010 The Health Literacy Program for Minnesota Seniors (HeLP MN Seniors) is brought to you by the University of Minnesota Health Sciences Libraries and the Minnesota Health Literacy Partnership. Funding was provided through a subcontract from the National Library of Medicine National Network of Libraries of Medicine under contract number N01-LM This work is protected by an Attribution Share Alike (cc by-sa) license. Under this license, others are able to remix, tweak, and build upon the original work even for commercial reasons, as long the original source is cited and derivative works are licensed under identical terms. For more information, see: 17