Health and the Internet

Knowledge is at our fingertips. The World Wide Web has given us the ability to search thousands upon thousands of articles through thousands of websites to find the details of any topic from last night’s sports scores to the latest international news stories. Health information too has become readily available through sites like WebMD.com and the Mayo Clinic’s website, but the Internet lacks content regulators, and as a result, articles and discussion boards can often contain grossly inaccurate information.

Before taking to heart any health-related information or advice found on the web, it is important to evaluate the quality of the site to determine the reliability of its contents. The University of Colorado Health Sciences Center has developed a website to help Internet users navigate the web, and find accurate, reliable health information.

UCHSC recommends that anyone seeking health-related information or guidance on the Internet should follow the DOCTOr acronym to determine the information’s accuracy:

• Design - the aesthetics and ease of movement around the site.
• Other - cost of use, is the site rated or reviewed?
• Content - the depth and quality of the information, its purpose and audience.
• Technical - the technology requirements of the site, the effectiveness of the technology used.
• Origin - the author and sponsor of the site, their qualifications for presenting the information, the date of the information.

The answers to these questions should help you evaluate whether or not the site can be trusted for accuracy.

For more information and to see the site in full, please visit: http://hsclibrary.uchsc.edu/education/evaluating.php