Obtaining

Medical

Information

From the

Internet

You should remember the following points:

• The practice cannot accept any responsibility for the use or accuracy of information found on other sites even though links may be offered to other sites. Links to other sites are offered as a resource but site content may change, become less reliable or out of date. Do not act on information until you are satisifed it is valid.
• Many internet sites are not regulated or validated by any medical authority and you should be careful about interpreting any information you may find
• Any person, including those without any qualification, can publish medical information. Some views expressed may be controversial, unproven or simply dangerous! BEWARE!
• The treatment and investigation of a particular condition may vary between countries - this may affect your expectations - discuss any concerns with your doctor.
• Many sites are designed for medical staff and may make alarming reading for the unprepared
• Sites about serious illness can be a great source of support for sufferers and their families but may be best avoided by others who may be distressed by their contents.
• A recent development is of internet 'Cyberdocs' offering patient 'consultations' for payment - a recent article in 'The Lancet' has raised worrying questions about the quality and safety of the advice being given by some of these services.
• Chatgroups : Some reports have suggested certain drug companies have promoted their products through using apparently plausible 'fellow sufferers' to make favourable claims.

• THE INTERNET IS NOT A SUBSTITUTE FOR A CONSULTATION WITH A QUALIFIED PROFESSIONAL - AVOID TRYING TO SELF-DIAGNOSE A PROBLEM - ARRANGE TO SEE YOUR DOCTOR !

Website quality checklist

When viewing a medical site consider :

• Is the information up to date ? - disregard sites that are not regularly updated, a date should be displayed.
• Who is the author of the site? - If there is no name be cautious - search in MEDLINE on authors names to check their validity. Are they cited in reputable journals ?
• Who is funding the site ? - companies have vested interest in advertising their products through sites and articles - check for independence of authorship, repeated favourable claims for a sponsors products, and any other conflicts of interest.

• The recently developed NHS DISCERN website helps you evaluate information on the internet.
• Although intended for children, for help in appraising health related websites visit The QUICK site (UK)