Health_Information

Running Head: EVALUATING INTERNET HEALTH INFORMATION Four Steps to Evaluate for Website Credibility Phyllis N. Riggins Chamberlain College of Nursing 4 STEPS TO FINDING THE RIGHT SITE Check all that apply Provider Who is in charge of the Website' Why are they providing the site' Can you contact them' Funding Where does the money to support the site come from' Does the site have advertisements' Are they labeled' Quality Where does the information on the site come from' How is content selected' Do Experts review the information that goes on the site' Is it up-to-date' Privacy Does the site ask for personal information' Do they tell you how it will be used' Are you comfortable with how it will be used' 1 EVALUATING INTERNET HEALTH INFORMATION Mr. Jones is a newly diagnosed diabetic and has come to the clinic today for a follow up visit after being hospitalized for a week. He is eager to learn as much about diabetes as possible. Mr. Jones has used his computer to find information on diabetes but found that there is so much information available and want to know how to tell if the information is accurate. As Mr. Jones is waiting for the doctor, we go over a handout on finding credible medical websites. We began by comparing two websites one that is credible and one that isn’t. With the checklist in hand we began. First who is the provider or who’s in charge of the website. This can be found by scrolling down to the bottom of the page under about us. From this you should be able to tell the purpose of the site and who runs the site. Always look for medical personnel. Check to see if you can contact the site owners by email, address, or phone. Missing information can be important clues to the website credibility. If the site is sponsored by a particular product, then the site might favor that company and its products. If the site has advertisements, it should be clearly labeled and be able to identify it from the content. Looking at where the information comes from is important and who provides the information. Does the information come from trained medical personnel or a group of business personnel' Good sites rely on medical research and identify the source and not on opinion or unidentified research sources. Check that the information is current. It may not reflect the latest treatment or research if it is outdated. Look for a sign that the site is updated. Maintaining your privacy is important. Check the privacy 2 EVALUATING INTERNET HEALTH INFORMATION policy to see how your information will be used if the site is asking for your personal information. Only give your information if you are comfortable with how your information will be used. (National Library of Medicine, 2010) Quality of the site is important. A good quality site is run by experts, has a clearly stated purpose, the advertisement is clearly labeled, reviews all information before posting it, is up-to-date, and will not share your personal information. A poor quality site doesn’t have a clear purpose, may favor a sponsor, doesn’t label advertisement, doesn’t describe how information is added or show when it was updated, and might share your personal information with others. (National Library of Medicine, 2010) Asking these questions will help you find quality websites. Is the site ran by experts, has a clear purpose been stated, are the advertisements clearly labeled, Is the information reviewed by knowledgeable people before being posted, is the sources of data and research clearly identified, is the website up-to-date, is your personal information protected' If the site doesn’t explain who is running it, favor a particular sponsor or product, has an unclear purpose, doesn’t label advertisements or show how information is added, might share personal information with others, or tell you how old the information is, may signify that the site is not credible. There is no guarantee that the information is perfect. Online information is not a substitute 3 EVALUATING INTERNET HEALTH INFORMATION for medical advice. Remember to always consult your doctor for any medical advice. Patient/medical partnership leads to the best medical decisions. (National Library of Medicine, 2010) Reference National Library of Medicine. (2010, July 11). Evaluating Internet Health Information: A Tutorial from the National Library of Medicine. Retrieved from Medline Plus,trusted health information for you.: www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/webeval/webeval.html