National Institutes of Health
- The primary NIH organization for research on Evaluating Health Information is the National Library of Medicine
A service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine 
National Institutes of Health
Evaluating Health Information
Millions of consumers get health information from magazines, TV or the Internet. Some of the information is reliable and up to date; some is not. How can you tell the good from the bad?
First, consider the source. If you use the Web, look for an "about us" page. Check to see who runs the site: Is it a branch of the government, a university, a health organization, a hospital or a business? Focus on quality. Does the site have an editorial board? Is the information reviewed before it is posted? Be skeptical. Things that sound too good to be true often are. You want current, unbiased information based on research.
NIH: National Library of Medicine
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Start Here
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Evaluating Internet Health Information: A Tutorial from the National Library of Medicine(National Library of Medicine)
- Health Information on the Web: Finding Reliable Information(American Academy of Family Physicians)
- Also available in Spanish
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MedlinePlus Guide to Healthy Web Surfing(National Library of Medicine)
- Also available in Spanish
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Evaluating Internet Health Information: A Tutorial from the National Library of Medicine
The top row in the table of contents box contains the following groups:
Basics
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Learn More
, and
Multimedia & Cool Tools
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For group Basics
For group Learn More
For group Multimedia & Cool Tools
The bottom row in the table of contents box contains the following groups:
Research
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Reference Shelf
, and
For You
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For group Research
For group Reference Shelf
For group For You
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Overviews
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Evaluating Web-Based Health Resources(National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine)
- Also available in Spanish
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National Library of Medicine Guide to Finding Health Information(National Library of Medicine)
- Trust It or Trash It?(Genetic Alliance)
- Also available in Spanish
- User's Guide to Finding and Evaluating Health Information on the Web(Medical Library Association)
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Evaluating Web-Based Health Resources
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Latest News
- Web Information on Safe Infant Sleep Often Wrong(08/15/2012, Reuters Health)
- What's That Symptom? Experts Warn of Self-Diagnosis Via the Web(07/27/2012, HealthDay)
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Online Diagnosis Dangers
(07/27/2012, HealthDay)
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Specific Conditions
- Cancer Information on the Internet(American Cancer Society)
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Cancer Risk: What Does That Newspaper Article Really Say?(National Cancer Institute)
- Deciphering Media Stories on Diet: Nutrition in the News(Harvard School of Public Health)
- How to Find Reliable ENT Info(American Academy of Otolaryngology--Head and Neck Surgery)
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Related Issues
- 'Miracle' Health Claims: Add a Dose of Skepticism(Federal Trade Commission)
- Also available in Spanish
- Deciphering Medspeak(Medical Library Association)
- Also available in Spanish
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MedlinePlus: Health Literacy(National Library of Medicine)
- Our Commitment to Reliable Health and Medical Information(Health on the Net Foundation)
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Understanding Risk: What Do Those Headlines Really Mean?(National Institutes of Health)
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Tutorials
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Evaluating Internet Health Information: A Tutorial from the National Library of Medicine(National Library of Medicine)
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Evaluating Internet Health Information: A Tutorial from the National Library of Medicine
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Journal Articles
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
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Organizations
- Health On the Net Foundation
- Medical Library Association
- National Health Information Center(Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion)
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National Library of Medicine
- URAC
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Statistics
- Use of the Internet for Health Information: United States, 2009(National Center for Health Statistics)
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Seniors
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Beware of Health Scams(National Institute on Aging)
- Also available in Spanish
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Online Health Information: Can You Trust It?(National Institute on Aging)
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Beware of Health Scams
