SATURDAY, Nov. 3, 2001 (HealthDayNews) -- As health-oriented Web sites on the Internet increase exponentially, the lines between legitimate and not-so can often be obscured.
Enter the Health Information Check Up (HICU), a online program created by health-care provider Kaiser Permanente to offer input and perspective from both consumers and medical experts on Internet health information.
The new site features a survey that questioned more than 4,000 Americans about their health Web choices.
A recent Harris Poll indicated that no fewer than 70 million people logged on in 1999 to look for health information on the Web. And the results of Kaiser's survey, which was conducted by Roper Starch Worldwide and Harris Interactive, back up the evidence that health information is perhaps one of the most valued uses of the Internet.
A full 42 percent of the Kaiser survey's respondents reported visiting a medical or health Web site at least monthly. One-in-four respondents had a favorite site and visited it an average of 50 times each year, or about once a week.
Thirty-one percent also said the information they got from their favorite site led them to talk with a medical professional about specific medications, and 25 percent said the online information inspired them to make a medical appointment.
From a doctor's perspective, that's all good news.
"I need to help patients sort out what they're thinking. And if they already have the vocabulary, it's a lot easier," says Dr. Bruce Bagley, an Albany, N.Y., family physician and chairman of the board of directors for the American Academy of Family Physicians.
"I don't have to start from scratch because they already have some information," he adds.
As an example, Bagley describes three patients who came to him with the same condition, Bell's palsey, in which part of the face becomes temporarily paralyzed.
"I had to explain to them that it would go away and all we could do was watch and wait -- and that's a tough message when your face is drooping," he recalls.
"Two of the patients who had read about the condition on the Internet were comfortable with that and they went home. And for the most part, they were heading back to normal after a week and everything was OK," he says.
"The third person had not looked at the Web, however, and wasn't really ready to accept the fact that there was nothing to do," Bagley says. "That person insisted on seeing a neurologist, which I didn't mind, but the neurologist just told them the same thing I told them."
"So I really think the more people know, the better," he adds.
The Kaiser site's advisory board, which includes medical professionals and online health information experts, offers feedback on consumer Web site choices, such as what type of consumer might most benefit from a given site (e.g. experienced vs. novice), and alternative sites that may also be useful.
In addition, the advisory board offers information on how consumers can identify which sites might be more reliable when a standard search produces hundreds of choices.
According to John Hoben, an advisory board member and practice director for health services with ITX Corp. in Rochester, N.Y., a variety of factors constitute a worthwhile health site.
"We look at things like the nature of the content on the site, how that content was derived, was the content just one individual's opinion or was it based on peer-reviewed, evidence-based medicine? What is the actual nature of the content and what is the process by which it was derived and maintained?"
Consumers should also learn to identify health news Web sites that are little more than pharmaceutical advertisements in disguise, adds Hoben.
"Some other key things to look for are the funding sources for the site -- make sure the organization is not swayed by any supplier or corporate relationship. For instance, if the site is sponsored by a pharmaceutical company, be sure to weigh that in with any information that's being given out, he says.
Here are just a few more tips, offered by HICU, on what to look for in a good health information site:
- Is it too good to be true? "Miracle cures" are rare. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Use the same common sense you would in judging any health information.
- Is it private/secure? Giving a site personal information so that it can tailor health content to your needs can be very helpful. But be sure to read the site's privacy policy. Understand how and where sites will share the information you are giving them.
- Can you picture this? In some instances, pictures can be helpful for understanding health conditions. Look for Web sites with drawings or pictures to help you "see" what you are reading about.
- Who's talking? Use common sense in chat rooms and take the medical advice of others with a grain of salt. Keep in mind that most of your fellow "chatters" are probably not health professionals.
What To Do
The Health Information Check Up can be found online at www.kp.org/hicheckup.
One of the first things you should look for on a health information Web site is whether it subscribes to the HONcode principles of the Health On the Net Foundation, an international organization designed to guide lay persons or non-medical users and medical practitioners to useful and reliable online medical and health information.
And visit Familydoctor.org, the site of the American Academy of Family Physicians, for a good start on extensive health information.
