Back

I'm overwhelmed by the information on the Internet. Most of the time I can tell what's real and what's bogus. When I look up stuff on my health I'm not sure if I should go to the message boards first and find out what other patients are saying or go with what doctors say. What do you advise?

Patients and physicians are both noticing the same thing. There isn't a lack of information. There's an overload. Most of the search engines list 1000s of web sites. Sorting through all that information can be very time consuming. Knowing what's valid and accurate is a separate problem. Commercially sponsored sites can be misleading in an effort to sell their product. Patients can easily misunderstand information offered. We suggest looking for academic sites posted by universities or large, reputable clinics like Mayo, Johns Hopkins, or Kaiser Permanente. Secondly, look for information written by physicians. Check the date on the web page. Look for information that is reviewed and/or updated regularly. Be a good health consumer. Gather whatever good information you can find. Always check all information with your own doctor. This is especially important if and when you are making a decision about your health care or treatment. Don’t leave it up to the World Wide Web to decide your life for you.

« Back