Women Wading Through the Web: providing women with the tools to evaluate online health information

Medicine 2.0

Background: Using the Internet, women can now access a broad range of medical information in their own homes with relative anonymity. It is assumed that "greater availability of health information via the Internet will lead to the emergence of more informed patients who are better able to assess the risks and benefits of different treatments for themselves." [1] Yet the solution is often flawed. Health information on the Internet is often inaccurate and misleading. Given that anyone with Internet access can easily create and distribute online content, concerns about the credibility of health-based information are especially relevant. It is vitally important that women are given the tools to assess the accuracy and quality of online health information. Criteria for assessing online health information: Health librarians have developed criteria for assessing the quality of online health information. These include instruments and checklists intended to establish whether content is credible, [2] and web interfaces usable. A review of published criteria for evaluating health information on the web reveals that many authors agree on key criteria for evaluating health-related websites. [3] Experts advise Internet users to check a health site's source and currency, and to visit several sites in their search for information. While health librarians clearly know how to assess the quality of online health information, the general public usually does not. Only one-quarter of respondents to a survey on the use of strategies to separate "good" information from "bad" online health information [4] said they follow the recommended protocol of thoroughly checking the source and timeliness of a website's information. This puts women who use online health information resources at serious risk for obtaining, and acting upon, false and misleading information. If women are to use online health information resources effectively, they need accessible and plain language educational tools and best practices information for assessing the quality of information presented. Online Health Toolkit: This paper describes how the staff at womenshealthmatters.ca, Women's College Hospital's consumer website, provided women with the tools to assess the accuracy and quality of online health information. Women Wading Through the Web was designed to provide women with educational tools and best practices information on how to use the Internet to search for health information, judge the quality of online health information, understand medical research and analyze health stories in the media. The presenter will also discuss the challenges of using a dedicated web community to facilitate discussion about accessing reliable online health information and to evaluate consumer satisfaction with the Toolkit. References 1. Henwood F, Wyatt S, Hart A, Smith J. Ignorance is bliss sometimes: constraints on the emergence of the 'informed patient" in the changing landscapes of health information. Sociol Health Illn. 2003 Sept: 25(6): 589-607. 2. Eysenbach, G, Powell J, Kuss O, Sa ER Empirical studies assessing the quality of health information for consumers on the world wide web: a systematic review. JAMA. 2002 May 22-29: 287(20): 2691-700. 3. Kim, P, Eng TR, Deering, MJ, Maxfield A. Published criteria for evaluating health related web sites: review. BMJ. 1999 Mar 6;318 (7184):647-9 4. Vital Decisions: How Internet Users Decide What Information to Trust When They or Their Loved Ones are Sick. (Pew Internet & American Life Project: May 22, 2002).