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10
Things you should considered before evaluating any health
related source on Internet |
The number of Web sites offering health-related resources
grows every day. Many sites provide valuable information, while
others may have information that is unreliable or misleading.
This short guide contains important questions you should
consider as you look for health information online. When you visit a new site
answering these questions will help you evaluate
the information you find.
- Who runs this site?
- Who pays for the site?
- What is the purpose of
the site?
- Where does the
information come from?
- What is the basis of the
information?
- How is the information
selected?
- How current is the
information?
- How does the site choose
links to other sites?
- What information about
you does the site collect, and why?
- How does the site manage
interactions with visitors?
1. Who runs this site?
Any good health-related Web site should make it easy for you
to learn who is responsible for the site and its information. On
this site, for example, the 'Meditation is easy.com' is clearly marked on every
major page of the site, along with a link to the homepage.
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2. Who pays for the site?
It costs money to run a Web site. The source of a Web site's
funding should be clearly stated or readily apparent. For
example, Web addresses ending in ".gov" denote a
Federal Government-sponsored site. You should know how the site
pays for its existence. Does it sell advertising? Is it
sponsored by a drug company? The source of funding can affect
what content is presented, how the content is presented, and
what the site owners want to accomplish on the site.
[For your kind
information this website (Meditation is easy.com) runs on private
funding of it's mentors. Recently a new revenue modal (in
the form of contextual advertising from Google.com ) has also been added
.]
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3. What is the purpose of the site?
This question is related to who runs and pays for the site.
An "About This Site" link appears on many sites; if
it's there, use it. The purpose of the site should be clearly
stated and should help you evaluate the trustworthiness of the
information.
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4. Where does the information come from?
Many health/medical sites post information collected from
other Web sites or sources. If the person or organization in
charge of the site did not create the information, the original
source should be clearly labeled (as is done on this website)
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5. What is the basis of the information?
In addition to identifying who wrote the material you are
reading, the site should describe the evidence that the material
is based on. Medical facts and figures should have references
(such as to articles in medical journals). Also, opinions or
advice should be clearly set apart from information that is
"evidence-based" (that is, based on research results).
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6. How is the information selected?
Is there an editorial board? Do people with excellent
professional and scientific qualifications review the material
before it is posted?
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7. How current is the information?
Web sites should be reviewed and updated on a regular basis.
It is particularly important that medical information be
current. The most recent update or review date should be clearly
posted. Even if the information has not changed, you want to
know whether the site owners have reviewed it recently to ensure
that it is still valid.
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8. How does the site choose links to other
sites?
Web sites usually have a policy about how they establish
links to other sites. Some medical sites take a conservative
approach and don't link to any other sites. Some link to any
site that asks, or pays, for a link. Others only link to sites
that have met certain criteria.
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9. What information about you does the site
collect, and why?
Web sites routinely track the paths visitors take through
their sites to determine what pages are being used. However,
many health Web sites ask for you to "subscribe" or
"become a member." In some cases, this may be so that
they can collect a user fee or select information for you that
is relevant to your concerns. In all cases, this will give the
site personal information about you.
Any credible health site asking for this kind of information
should tell you exactly what they will and will not do with it.
Many commercial sites sell "aggregate" (collected)
data about their users to other companies--information such as
what percentage of their users are women with breast cancer, for
example. In some cases they may collect and reuse information
that is "personally identifiable," such as your ZIP
code, gender, and birth date. Be certain that you read and
understand any privacy policy or similar language on the site,
and don't sign up for anything that you are not sure you fully
understand.
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10. How does the site manage interactions
with visitors?
There should always be a way for you to contact the site
owner if you run across problems or have questions or feedback.
If the site hosts chat rooms or other online discussion areas,
it should tell visitors what the terms of using this service
are. Is it moderated? If so, by whom, and why? It is always a
good idea to spend time reading the discussion without joining
in, so that you feel comfortable with the environment before
becoming a participant.
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(This
article Courtesy
:
NCCAM Nccam.nih.gov )
