How to make best use of the Internet
Some of the information on the internet is excellent. Other information is false or misleading. How can you distinguish one from the other?
Warning signs
There are a few warning signs that a website might not be trustworthy:
- Some websites have a conflict of interest. For example, many websites exist only to sell their products. They provide health information, but it is tailored to influence you to buy from them. When a website is set up to make money, be very sceptical about the information on it. Try to find the information elsewhere. Check it against reliable websites that don't want your money, such as Government or university websites. Find out who is behind the website. (Sometimes this is in small print at the bottom of the website's home page, or behind an “About” hyperlink.)
- Some websites claim to cure your child's disability. Don't expect miracles. The more extravagant the claims, the more sceptical you need to be about believing them.
- Some websites give no evidence for their claims. If they do give evidence, read it carefully. What outcomes did the treatment produce? Were those outcomes measured objectively? Is it possible that the children would have shown the same improvements as they grew older, even without the treatment? Evaluate the research evidence against the criteria given in How to make best use of the professional research literature.
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Advertising material
In some websites, you will find that advertising material (related to your search) will appear next to your search results. Don't mistake advertising material for health information. The advertising material is not an answer to your search. It is only an opportunity for the company who sells it to direct their advertising to people like you who might buy their products.
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Websites that evaluate the quality of health information
There are many people with health conditions and disabilities who are motivated to pinpoint reliable health information on the internet. They have teamed up with healthcare professionals and created websites to distinguish different websites and work out which ones are trustworthy. Their websites can be used to search for trustworthy health information. They also provide tips and education on how to search and evaluate health information. These include: Health in the Net (HON) and the Cochrane Consumers and Communication Review Group Resource Bank (described below).
Health in the Net or HON is one of the partners in WRAPIN. HON's mission is to guide Internet users by highlighting reliable, understandable, relevant and trustworthy sources of online health and medical information. HON evaluates websites and gives them an HON accreditation if they meet the HONcode.
“The HONcode was created as a response to the lack of a guarantee for the quality of information found online. HON developed a Code of conduct (HONcode) based on eight essential ethical, quality and accessibility principles. From discussions with webmasters and editors of web sites, it was seen that such a code of conduct was required and sought after by them, thus enabling them to provide quality information by following a set of basic rules.”
On the HON website, you can search HON accredited websites for any health information, including information about disability.
The Cochrane Consumers and Communication Review Group gives plain language summaries of reviews that researchers have written in many health areas. Cochrane reviews are the best evidence available, but, unfortunately, this website is not easy to search and many disability treatments are not yet covered. You can browse the Resources Bank Index, and see if there is any review on the topic that you are searching for.
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