Evaluating Health Information on the Web

Anna Huber

Emporia State University

Tuality HealthCare

Why evaluate web sources?

Best to go to sites that we know are accurate & reliable

Web sites are unregulated: Anyone can post anything

The web is not a substitute for print sources or a healthcare provider

Accuracy

Is the information medically sound? Is there cited sources? Are the sources

authoritative? Are there gross errors (grammatical,

spelling)? Example: Male Pregnancy

Authority

Can you determine authorship? Are their qualifications/credentials listed? Affiliations Is there contact information on the site? What is the domain name? Example: CureZone

Bias

Is the information one sided? Who sponsors the site? Are the sponsors

clearly listed? Is there advertising on the site? Is it clearly

marked? Is the site INFLAMATORYINFLAMATORY!!!!???? Example: Think Twice

Currency

Is the information clearly outdated?

Is there a date of publishing? update?

Are there links provided? Are they current?

Is the site well designed? Easy to use?

Coverage and Scope

What is the purpose of the site?

What is the intended audience?

Are there more authoritative source available? Perhaps in another format?

Example: The Facts about Tourette Syndrome

Review

Accuracy Authority Bias Currency Coverage

What do you think?

Is this a reputable site? Drugs.com

How about this? DHMO – The Truth

Or this one? Dercum’s Disease The Doctor’s Medical Library

Resources

Quackwatch Healthfinder MedlinePlus: Health Freud Mythbuster Health on the Net Foundation