Quality of Medical Information on the InterNet

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This page is dedicated to source reliability issues for cancer related information on the Internet. Anyone can publish on the Internet and to a large extent information is unregulated - so users should be aware of quality of information issues. Many sites offer high quality information, however there are reports of inaccurate and misleading information on the Internet. There are a number of groups proposing standards, however because of the nature of the Internet these will be difficult to enforce. If you are a patient you are strongly advised to discuss any information concerns you may have with your doctor. You may find it useful to assess each information site that you visit. For example: Who wrote the information ? what are the author(s) experiences / qualifications ? When was it last updated ? is the information out of date ? How is it funded ? are there any conflicts of interest ? What type of information is it ? descriptive or prescriptive ? always be sceptical of any medical advice on the internet. Discuss your concerns with your doctor. For medical information: does the site have an editorial board that includes independent medical experts ? For medical information: how reliable is the evidence that findings are based on ? Menu: Quality of Medical Information on the InterNet Cancer Information Issues General Medical Internet Issues Medical Standards for the Internet Related Organisations Levels of Evidence Cancer Information Issues (4 links) 10 Things to Know about Evaluating Medical Resources on the Web (National Cancer Institute) A Special Message for Cancer Patients Seeking "Alternative" Treatments (QuackWatch) Levels of evidence: explanation in therapeutics studies (CancerNet) A ranking system to judge a) the strength of study design, and b) the strength of study end-points. Oncology ASAP: Where to Find Reliable Cancer Information on the Internet (Journal of the American Medical association) a paper by Robert Sikorski, Richard Peters, May 1997 General Medical Internet Issues (9 links) Hardin Meta Directory: Medical Informatics Harvard Meta Directory - TeleMedicine Health Finder (TM) (USA) a gateway to selected consumer health and human services information web sites from the US Government. The site includes clearinghouses, databases, web sites, government agencies, non-profit organisations etc. judged to produce reliable info. How to Spot Health Fraud (FDA Consumer magazineNov-Dec 1999) article by by Paula Kurtzweil including Tip-Offs to Rip-Offs; especially watching out for for one product that does it all, personal testimonials and quick fixes. Internet Detective (Desire, UK) This is an on-line interactive tutorial with information about using the Internet, evaluating web sites, assessing quality of information. Useful for new and experienced users. Requires (free) registration. Medical misinformation on the information on the Superhighway (CNN) News article by Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Schwartz (30th Aug, 1995) OMNI Medical Information Directory (UK) OMNI aims to provide a directory of links to quality reviewed medical sites. It includes a section on neoplasms. Online advice: good medicine or cyber-quackery? (American College of Physicians - Observer) How physicians can work with patients who are going to the Net for medical information - an article by Holly Ojalvo QuackWatch - Your Guide to Health Fraud, Quackery, and Intelligent Decision Making A site by Stephen Barrett, M.D. Quackwatch is a non-profit corporation "whose purpose is to combat health-related frauds, myths, fads, and fallacies." Medline Search: quality of information (PubMed)   Limit search to: [Last Year]  Limit search to: [Last 2 Years]   Limit search to: [Reviews] Medical Standards for the Internet (6 links) Code of Conduct for Medical Web Sites (Health on the Net Foundation) Criteria for Assessing the Quality of Health Information on the Internet (International collaboration) Working Draft White Paper DISCERN (UK) An experimental score based system for rating consumer health information on treatment choices. It is produced by researchers at the University of Oxford. Medical Lobby for Appropriate Marketing an international watchdog group that challenges the pharmaceutical industry over advertising malpractice. Quality Standards for Medical Publishing on the Web (British Healthcare Internet Association) Recommendations Rating Health Information on the Internet - Navigating to Knowledge or to Babel ? (Journal of the American Medical Association, 297,611-619, 1998) Review by Alejandro Jadad and Anna Gagliardi Charnock D, et al. DISCERN: an instrument for judging the quality of written consumer health information on treatment choices. J Epidemiol Community Health 1999 Feb;53(2):105-11    Related articles (PubMed) Medline Search: quality of information AND instrument (PubMed)   Limit search to: [Last Year]  Limit search to: [Last 2 Years]   Limit search to: [Reviews] Related Organisations (11 links) American Health Information Management Association (USA) American Medical Informatics Association (USA) "Advancing Health Care Through Information Technology" British Healthcare Internet Association Centre for Health Informatics and Multiprofessional Education (University College London Medical School, UK) Cochrane Collaboration The Cochrane Collaboration is an international organisation involved in preparing, maintaining and disseminating systematic reviews in all areas of health care. The site includes details of Cochrane centres, review groups, etc. German Medical Informatics Association German language Health On the Net Foundation (Switzerland) HON, an non-profit organisation, was founded in 1996 to promote reliable medical information on the Internet. The Web site includes the MedHunt search facility for medical links and the HON Code of Conduct for webmasters. Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society Medical Informatics and the Internet in Medicine Journal MEDWEBMASTERS-L (ACOR) Email discussion list MMATRIX-L - American Medical Informatics Association Mailing List Email discussion list Levels of Evidence (5 links) How can you be confident about the scientific soundness of what you read ? It is important to read publications critically, and access the levels of evidence behind the papers findings. In addition, there is a growing amount of medical information on the Internet, much of which is not peer-reviewed. Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine (Oxford, UK) NHS Research and Development. The site includes details of the centre, teaching materials, and links to related information. Cochrane Collaboration The Cochrane Collaboration is an international organisation involved in preparing, maintaining and disseminating systematic reviews in all areas of health care. The site includes details of Cochrane centres, review groups, etc. Levels of evidence: explanation in therapeutics studies (CancerNet) A ranking system to judge a) the strength of study design, and b) the strength of study end-points. Rating Health Information on the Internet - Navigating to Knowledge or to Babel ? (Journal of the American Medical Association, 297,611-619, 1998) Review by Alejandro Jadad and Anna Gagliardi The Cochrane Reviewer's Handbook includes details on the format of a Cochrane Review, developing a protocol, locating / selecting studies, analysing and presenting results etc. Meta-analysis Djulbegovic B, et al. The quality of medical evidence in hematology-oncology. Am J Med 1999 Feb;106(2):198-205    Related articles (PubMed) Medline Search: evidence based medicine (PubMed)   Limit search to: [Last Year]  Limit search to: [Last 2 Years]   Limit search to: [Reviews]