Study of Legitimate vs. Invalid Research Web Resources

GEMP I PCMS Module 4

Healthy Web (Internet) Searching

• Anyone Can and Does Publish• No Editing• No Peer Review• No Control• Can be Dangerous for Medical Information• Easy to Find Misinformation which Looks

Credible

Home Management of Fever in Children: Web Sites

• 41 sites identified• 2 contained dangerous information• 1 recommended a drug that was

removed from the market• Only 4 sites gave completely

accurate information

Impicciatore, P., et al. 1997. BMJ,317:1875

How Peter Duesberg Misled the SA Health Ministry

Duesberg.com: Links

32 Signatories, with a Further 14 Added in 1991

One of the Few Times You Can Use Google!!

Wikipedia. Available: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AIDS#Alternative_hypotheses. [Updated 10.02.2007] [Accessed 12.02.2007]

How to Evaluate a Web Site

• Look for Evidence– Author (not Webmaster)– Publishing Authority

• Analyse URL (.gov, .edu)– Date– Frequency of Updates– Bias

• Be careful of advertising and sponsored links– Colour and Text

• Speling & Gramma– Seals of Approval (SOAPS)

Health on the Net (HON)

• http://www.hon.ch• Any Site that Carries this Seal of Approval can

be Trusted for Health Information

Quackwatch.org

Summary: How to Evaluate a Web Site

1. Accuracy– Author/ Contact Address

2. Authority– .edu .gov .org. net/ Preferred Domains

3. Objectivity– Limited advertising; Little/no bias

4. Currency– Up to date; Links up to date

5. Coverage– Not dependent on specific browsers/software; not fee

based• http://copia.library.cornell.edu/olinuris/ref/webcrit.html

Why it’s Not a Good Idea to Google Health Information …

LipoSafe

Sponsored Links on Google

Virtual Diet: YouTube

How to Airbrush Photos …

If you MUST Use Google …Google Scholar