The internet is a vast reservoir of health information. Some of the information is good quality, but some is not. This article gives you some pointers to help you decide whether the information on a website is likely to be trustworthy.

When reading anything on the internet be sceptical, and don’t believe everything you read. Don’t forget that anyone can put information on the internet, and some of it is inaccurate or misleading. Also, a website may be accurate, but give only half the story. For example, a website may not mention side effects, or it may not tell you that the treatment works for only a few people.

Who created the website?

Good websites make it clear who created the website. The author may be obvious from the name of the website, or you may need to look in the ‘About us’ section for details.

Websites created by government, professional and not-for-profit organisations, including patient support and advocacy groups, are more likely to provide accurate and balanced health information than sites created by commercial companies or individuals.

What is its purpose?

Health websites are created for many reasons: to provide information, sell a product or service, or tell a personal story.

A brief reading of the website will often give you a reasonable idea as to its purpose and possible bias.
Be wary of sites whose main aim is to sell or promote a product or service. Some such websites are clearly advertisements, but some quite cleverly conceal their true purpose. Signs that indicate the website is promoting a service or product rather than providing information include:

• use of words like ‘miraculous cure’, ‘secret formula’, ‘scientific breakthrough’, ‘amazing results’
• claims that the product or treatment has no side effects
• stories from patients reporting amazing results
• testimonials from celebrities.

Is it up to date?

Good websites have their information checked and updated regularly. They tell you when this was last done by displaying something like ‘Last updated 23 June 2009’ on the page or on the home page.

Does the HealthInsite or HON logo appear on the page?

Websites that display the HealthInsite or Health on the Net Foundation (HON) logo have been judged as being of good quality and suitable for consumers.