Selecting Quality Websites

It is important to select quality websites when searching for your healthcare questions, otherwise the information you find may not be reliable.  There are some good things to look for when selecting a quality website.  One of the things to first check is who is creating the site, is it a random person or is it a recognized health organization, federal organization or non-profit organization?  The website should always have information about who is providing the information so that you can ensure you are looking at quality content.  It is a good idea to find out if the material posted has been reviewed by other specialists or if it is posted without a review board, you can sometimes find this information in the about us section.  Be leery of claims that sound too good to be true, they usually are, and make sure that the information you are reading is based on research not opinion, this usually can be found by searching the author of the content. 

You want to ensure that the information presented is current, so look at dates of when the content was written or posted.  Try to find out who is funding the site, is it funded by a company selling something they are advertising, is it funded by donations, is there any chance the information is biased based on who is funding the site?  Finally you want to search out the privacy policy, if you are giving personal information is the site protecting your information?  Web site information can always be helpful but it should never replace the medical opinion of your doctor, so please seek guidance from you doctor when needed. 

Some quality websites you can visit are:
Alzheimer’s Association www.alz.org
American Cancer Association www.cancer.org
American Diabetes Association www.diabetes.org
American Heart Association www.heart.org
Center for Disease Control and Prevention www.cdc.gov
KidsHealth www.kidshealth.org
Mentalhealth.gov www.mentalhealth.gov

Reference:

Medline Plus. (2015). MedlinePlus guide to healthy web surfing. Retrieved from https://medlineplus.gov/healthywebsurfing.html