Wednesday - Apr 14, 2010
As health care costs soar, particularly in the U.S., many people routinely consult the Internet for medical advice. But how valuable is this information and can it actually pose a threat to your health?
Medical researchers in the UK have determined that pediatric advice found on many websites is unreliable. The team used Google, searching keywords related to kids’ health issues, such as “sleeping position” and “breast feeding”. Searches were restricted to UK sites only. The report found that “39% of the 500 sites searched gave correct information; 11% were incorrect and 49% failed to answer the question. Where an answer was available, 78% of sites gave the correct information.”
The takeaway from this study is that as a consumer of information–medical or otherwise–you have to carefully evaluate it. Anyone can publish on the Net, but that doesn’t make them experts. Medical information is a special case, because following the wrong advice can have disastrous consequences. Even after examining a patient and running tests, a doctor may have a problem diagnosing a medical condition.
The British team determined that “governmental sites gave uniformly accurate advice. News sites gave correct advice in 55% of cases. No sponsored sites were encountered that gave the correct advice.”
Of course the study is limited in scope, but it underscores that you can’t accept health information at face value. How do you evalutate it? For starters, ask your doctor which sites he or she consults. If you belong to a health plan or HMO, it may have a website that offers information to members. Visit the sites of public-health organizations, such as the World Health Orgaization, The Center for Disease Control, the National Library of Medicine and the British National Health Service. Consult the websites of reputable medical organizations like the Mayo Clinic.
Regardless of where you source the information, get in the habit of casting a critical eye. Website eHow has a set of criteria you can apply to evaluate medical advice. For tips on evaluating more general online information, check out “Evaluating Online Information–Fact or Fiction?”
