Spreading Health Information on the Net

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Various researchers have assessed the quality of consumer health information on the Internet, with most of their studies reaching negative conclusions. But the researchers themselves often differ in how they measure "quality.

There is a certain risk to encounter imperfect health information on the Web, but even medical experts often disagree on the question of what good health information constitutes in the first place.

Thus, despite frequent research and media reports that health information on the Web does not comply to expert guidelines, there is little reason to discourage consumers to obtain health information from the Web.

Researchers analyzed 79 different studies that evaluated nearly 6,000 health Web sites and 1,330 Web pages. Seven out of every 10 studies concluded that quality is a problem on the Internet.

The most frequently used criteria to determine Web site and Web page quality were:

• Accuracy,
• Completeness,
• Readability,
• Design,
• Disclosures and
• References provided.

In evaluating accuracy, however, some study authors reportedly compared the Internet information to criteria they established beforehand, while others compared the Internet information to previously published research. Many studies also did not clarify whether the author actually searched the literature or used his or her own knowledge to determine a document's accuracy.

Obviously, the closer you look, the more flaws you find in health information on the Web, but the same is true for health information in other media. Consumers should search the Internet for health information but they need to keep a critical eye on quality.

In a related editorial, researchers from the Mayo Clinic assert that the new study highlights the formlessness of the Internet.

The breadth and sophistication of content available on the Web have increased by several magnitudes since the mid-1990s, but absolute standards for health information have yet to be established.

JAMA May 22, 2002;287:2691-2700, 2713

DR. MERCOLA'S COMMENT:

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The traditional and conservative medical establishment likes to consider themselves the guardian of truth.

Unfortunately, their typically rigid viewpoints limit them from seeing the whole picture.

However, the Internet is changing all of that. Never, since the introduction of the printing press over 500 years ago, has such an information revolution spread. While there are some serious problems with the Internet, the average consumer is able to see through the fluff and judge the value of what they are reading for themselves.

The real difference of the Internet, which I have not yet done on this site, is the ability to collect the wisdom of the masses.

You can begin to see a glimpse of this technology on sites like Amazon.com, in the book review link.

I have been working diligently for the last two years on creating the infrastructure platform that will allow that to happen in health.

Stay tuned. I hope to deploy the first stages of this program later this year.

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