Evaluating Health Websites

As a health consumer is is difficult to know where to find accurate up to date health information.  There is a lot of inaccurate information presented on the internet.  There are many diagnoses when you google a symptom. It is important to ask yourself questions when evaluating a website. Especially when health choices you are making for you and your family are dependent on the information gathered. It is important to evaluate if the website is accurate, up to date, and based on research.  Here are questions that are important to ask your self when evaluating a website:



Who developed and maintains the website? Who is the author/s of the website and what are their credentials?  Is the author/s credible? Websites that are based on an author's opinions can be inaccurate.  Experts in a field are more credible and the more experts collaborating the more accurate. 



Where is the information posted coming from? What is it based on? Is it accurate? Is the content based on research or is it the author's opinion?  Does the website provide information on where the content is coming from?  Websites presenting information based on research and from experts in the field will be more accurate. 



Are they trying to promote something or sell you something? Is the site trying to sell you something or making claims that are too good to be true?  Be weary of site trying to sell a product or convince you of something that seems to good to be true. 



Is the information posted reviewed by anyone? Often credible sources will have the information reviewed by experts in the field to ensure accuracy.



Is information current?
When was the information posted?  How current is the information?  The more current the better, especially with health related information.



What kinds of sites is it linked to?
Are there links on the site?  Are the links taking you to trusted sites?  It's important to evaluate each site you access.  If you believe you are on a credible site it does always mean everything it's linked to is credible. 



What does the site do with your personal information? Often sites use your personal information.  It's important to evaluate what the site is doing with your person al information.  There is often a privacy policy link on the bottom of a webpage that will tell you how the site uses your personal information. 



Here is a list of a few health related websites I trust:
Center for Disease Control
cdc.gov
World Health Organization
http://www.who.int/en/

National Center for Complementary and Integrated Health
https://nccih.nih.gov/

Medline Plus
https://www.medlineplus.gov/

Lactmed
https://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/newtoxnet/lactmed.htm
DailyMed
https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/index.cfm

Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
http://www.eatright.org/