Health Online

Evaluating Web Sites – questions to ask yourself about the web page

  • Authority – Is it clear who is responsible for the contents of the page? / Is the purpose of the sponsoring organization given?/ Contact information given?
  • Accuracy – Are the sources for factual information clearly listed? / Free of grammatical, spelling/typographical errors? / Clear who has ultimate responsibility for accuracy of information?
  • Objectivity – Is the information provided as a public service? / Is the information free of advertising? / If there is any advertising is it clearly differentiated from the informational content?
  • Currency – Dates on the page – when page first placed on website & when page last revised?
Source: Wolfgram Memorial Library – Checklist for Informational Web Page

Web site that lists other medical sites to Avoid - Commercials and quackery

"Top Ten" Most Useful Health Websites for Consumers - Medical Library Association
(alphabetical order, not ranked)

  • Centers for Disease Control
    Tons of information on this site. The best and most useful is the Health Topics from A to Z section (includes a nice fact sheet on each topic) and Health Data and Statistics.
  • HealthFinder
    Sponsored by the US Food & Drug Administration, this site includes health information from A to Z — prevention and wellness, diseases & conditions, and alternative medicine — plus medical dictionaries/encyclopedias, information about doctors, dentists, public clinics, hospitals, long term care, nursing homes, health insurance, prescriptions, health fraud, Medicare, Medicaid, and medical privacy. Nicely organized and easy to use.
  • Health Information American Academy of Family Physicians
    Sponsored by the American Academy of Family Physicians includes Q&A on common health concerns/diseases, drug information including possible interactions with other drugs, a medical dictionary, a "self care section", and health information/advice for kids, parents, and teens.
  • Mayo Clinic
    Sponsored by the esteemed Mayo Clinic, this site provide useful and up-to-date information on diseases and conditions, prescription and over the counter drugs, a healthy living center (baby’s health, alternative medicine, Women’s health, etc.), and a listing of books and newsletters on a wide variety of topics.
  • MEDLINEplus
    Sponsored by the National Library of Medicine this website has extensive information from the National Institutes of Health and other trusted sources on over 600 diseases and conditions. There are also lists of hospitals and physicians, a medical encyclopedia and a medical dictionary, health information in Spanish, extensive information on prescription and nonprescription drugs, health information from the media, and links to thousands of clinical trials.
  • National Cancer Institute
    Includes information on National Cancer Institute research programs & funding, clinical trials, cancer statistics, and a wealth of information on different types of cancer, treatment, support and resources.
  • Nemours Foundation
    The Nemours Foundation is a charitable organization created by philanthropist Alfred I. duPont in 1936 and devoted to improving the health of children. Website provides doctor-approved health information about children from before birth through adolescence. Separate sections for kids, teens, and parents.
  • NOAH: New York Online Access to Health
    NOAH’s mission statement is to "provide access to high quality full-text consumer health information in English and Spanish that is accurate, timely, relevant and unbiased." The site’s strength is its very well organized "Health Topics and Resources" section. Basic information and easy to read. Not only New York related information, despite its name.
  • USCF Center for HIV Information
    Provides comprehensive, up to date information on HIV/AIDS/ treatment, prevention and policy from the University of California San Francisco School of Medicine. Dubbed as the "Gateway to AIDS knowledge."
Source: MLA Net

Other Good Sites

General Overviews, Encyclopedias, Glossaries

Researching Doctors and other Providers

Researching Prescriptions

Researching Diseases and Conditions

Health for Specific Populations: Seniors, Children, Women, Disabled

Alternative Health

Health Statistics

Hospitals

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