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Many people these days are taking the initiative to learn more about self-care for themselves and family members. If you are doing so, I commend you and want to work with you to help you maintain the highest quality of health. To support your efforts, I offer the following guidelines. And once you have read my article, check out our list of websites we think will be helpful to you
There are some books, articles, and online information services which are very reliable, but others are not. You need to distinguish what is helpful from what is harmful. It is very important to be aware that there are many online health services created by companies whose main goal is monetary reward. Please do not be fooled by something that serves as an advertisement, even if it does not look like the ads on television.
The next time you log on to your favorite health care Web site, look for the sponsor and the advertisers. Then consider whether the information is in your best interest, or whether it is designed to sell you something. If you would like, I can point you to sites where all of the health care information is reviewed by competent medical professionals.
I suggest you use the following five criteria to evaluate the sites you visit. These were developed by George D. Lundberg, MD, former editor of The Journal of the American Medical Association, and health journalist William M. Silberg. Please consider any online information unreliable unless you can answer these questions:
- Who wrote what you're reading? The site should contain the name of a real person.
- Where does that person work? A University? A Web-business? A product manufacturer? Can you easily find that information on the site?
- Was the information created for the site? If not, is there clear attribution showing where the information originated?
- Who owns the site, and who pays for it? The source of money and ownership should be clearly identified.
- Can you tell when the article itself was posted, whether it has been updated, and when?
If you cannot answer these questions, you may want to look elsewhere for health information. Even if you can answer the questions easily, there is no guarantee the information is accurate and unbiased. I will be happy to discuss all information you read over the Internet. Since so much technology and information is available today, I may not be familiar with some new medical subjects, however, I make a commitment to get you responsible answers in a timely fashion.
Happy (and responsible) surfing!
--Mark P. Trolice, MD, FACOG, FACS
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