By Eilís Casey
“HOW CAN CONSUMERS VERIFY THE RELIABILITY OF HEALTH AND MEDICAL INFORMATION
AVAILABLE ON THE INTERNET?”
Mayo Clinic WebMD
SYMPTOM CHECKERS
http://symptoms.webmd.com/#./introView
www.mayoclinic.com/health/symptom-checker/DS00671
HEALTH ON THE NET FOUNDATION
http://www.hon.ch/HONcode/Patients/Visitor/visitor.html
SCIENCE-BASED MEDICINE
http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/index.php/reliability-of-health-information-on-the-web/
“…rates health care sites on a number of criteria. These include assessment of how authoritative the sources are, the level of transparency, and if opinions expressed are justifi ed with evidence and references. While generally reasonable , the HON assessment does not necessarily involve a thorough assessment of the quality of the science on a given website , and many sites with what I would consider dubious information have earned the HON seal of approval.”
SBM ON THE HON RATING
Reliability of Health Information on the WebPublished by Steven Novella.
http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/index.php/reliability-of-health-information-on-the-web/
Non-profi t
Academic
Individually Run
Commercial
HON CATEGORIES
“ . . . ”commerc ia l” a lso re fers to s i tes that monet ize content – not necessar i ly se l l ing products , but s imply provid ing content as the i r product in order to se l l advert is ing . This inc ludes s i tes such as WebMD.”
SBM’S VIEW ON WEB MD
http://www.webmd.com/
Learn more about yourself and how your body functions
Inexpensive
Helps you discuss your condition with your doctor (may also hinder if on wrong track)
Can relieve stress
Quick information
PROS OF SELF DIAGNOSIS
Creates stress
Websites run on simple database
Failure to detect a serious illness which causes general symptoms which could have multiple causes e.g.. fever
Suggestions of an extremely serious disease that you don’t have
CONS OF SELF DIAGNOSIS
EMBARRASSING BODIES
http://www.channel4embarrassingillnesses.com/
T.V Show
Popular
Medical Professionals
Deal with common problems
Speak directly to the public
Video appointments
EMBARRASSING BODIES
EMBARRASSING BODIES
Picture Gallery
My Health CheckerSmart Phone App
Look for Sites from Established Institutions
Look for Sites With Expertise
HOW TO CHECK WEBSITES (1)
Steer Clear of Commercial Sites
Beware Bias
HOW TO CHECK WEBSITES (2)
Check the Date
Look at the Site's Layout
HOW TO CHECK WEBSITES (3)
Avoid Anonymous Authors
Check the Links
HOW TO CHECK WEBSITES (4)
BCM
http://www.bcm.edu/
UNRELIABLE WEBSITES
http://www.bioedonline.org/news/news.cfm?art=1200
Be aware
Research
Don’t be stressed
Seek advice
CONCLUSION
THANK YOU FOR LISTENING