When it's time for you to learn more about your diagnosis or options for treatment, then the Internet should be one of the first places you go. The breadth and depth of information is astounding, almost overwhelming, sometimes highly accurate and useful, and other times totally worthless.
A smart patient knows how to find the information she needs, how to determine what is credible, reliable and objective, and recognizes when it's time to discard or ignore the information that is phony, and may be dangerous. You'll want to follow the guidelines below to find the information that will be most helpful to you. A master list of best Internet health resources is also available.
Guidelines and Best Practices for Using the Internet to Research Health and Medical Information
- Remember that anyone can publish anything they want on the Internet, true or false. It's up to you to determine which information is true and credible.
- Trust your intuition. Like the old adage, if it seems too good to be true, then it probably is. Stay as objective as you can.
- Stick with well-respected health websites for the most credible and objective information.
- Always find at least a second reference to confirm your findings. Find a third reference, too, if you have time. There are few exceptions to this rule (pointed out in the resources listed.) But in general, if you can't find the information duplicated in more than two or three references, then it's questionable at best.
- Learn to separate fact from opinion. Sometimes this is difficult because the evidence that exists may be minimal. For example, a doctor may suggest a treatment for you based on his opinion and experience, while studies and evidence may show another treatment works more often. This is not to suggest that opinion isn't just as valuable as fact. Its value will be determined by who is providing the advice. It's important that you know the difference between fact and opinion when you're studying treatment alternatives.
- Testimonials are suspect. If you find a website that quotes various patients about the effectiveness of a treatment or therapy, then you can't be sure those testimonials are real. There are some ways to learn from the thoughts of patients (for example, through Blogs and Wikis, and Support Groups and Forums), but see #1 above as your first line of review.
- Make sure the information you find is the most current available. Sometimes you will find that studies conflict each other, or newer information trumps older information.
- Review unusual findings, and review any information that will influence your decisions with your doctor. There are specific guidelines for how to share that information. Follow them so you don't insult your doctor.
Once you understand how to get the most credible and reliable information possible from your Internet research, it's time to take a look at what resources are available for your use.
