Millions of consumers get health information from magazines, TV or the Internet. Some of the information is reliable and up to date; some is not. How can you tell the good from the bad?

Consider the source. If you use the Web, look for an “about us” page. Check to see who runs the site: Is it a branch of the government, a university, a health organization, a hospital or a business? Focus on quality. Does the site have an editorial board? Is the information reviewed before it is posted? Be skeptical. You want current, unbiased information. For further specifics see the pages highlighted below.

Learn about evaluating onlinehealth information:

• Evaluating Health Information topic page
• Evaluating Internet Health Information Tutorial
• MedlinePlus Guide to Healthy Web Surfing

New Report Indicates Changes in How Americans Get Their Information about Health and Cancer:

Age Page: Online Health Information: Can You Trust It? http://www.niapublications.org/agepages/healthinfo.asp

PowerPoint presentation designed for the Consumer Health Resource Information Service (CHRIS) Program. Navigating the World Wide Web for Health Information: Tools for Success http://orise.orau.gov/healthcomm/outreach-pubs.htm

This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 11th, 2007 at 10:53 am and is filed under Consumer Health, Education, General, Outreach, Public Health. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.