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Safe Web Surfing
 Today, when you learn that you or a loved one has a serious and potentially life-threatening condition often the first reaction is to research it on the web. This is a great first step which can help you understand the condition you’re facing. However, there is also a lot of misinformation out there too so it’s important to consider your sources and be critical of the information presented. Some issues to consider when searching the Internet for information are:
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Does the information come from a reliable source?
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Is the article documented? Can you find the citations?
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Are the recommendations practical? How about safe?
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What are the limitations of the procedure or therapy?
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What are the cons? Do they outweigh the pros?
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Is the article recommending something that is conventional wisdom or alternative?
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In either case, how old is the information?
Reliable Sources
As a program of Community Health Charities, the Health Matters at Work® website offers a plethora of information on disease management and prevention provided by the nation’s leading health charities. You will never find or encounter a sponsored generated advertisement on the Health Matters at Work® website. Click here to view a full list of our member charities.
Other reliable sources to reference are:
- Center for Disease Control CDC.gov
- Cochrane Collaboration Cochrane.org
- Mayo Clinic MayoClinic.com
- National Institutes of Health NIH.gov
- Pub Med PubMed.com
- Web MD WebMD.com
Documented and Cited
Does the article cite studies? Are you able to find those studies and verify the information? Was the study related in any way to the subject of the article or something entirely different? Did the methodology of the study make sense? Was it well thought out and executed?
Practical Recommendations
Are the recommendations you found practical for your circumstances? Are they within your means? Does your healthcare practitioner support the practice?
Limitations
What will the procedure do for you? Does it apply to your situation? Will it restore your health or prolong life? How will it affect your quality of life?
Pros & Cons
There must be some benefit(s) or you would not consider the proposed option. However, consider the cons carefully. What happens if the proposed option doesn’t work? What are the other options? If the first option fails are other options still available?
Conventional vs. Alternative
These days there are many “alternative” options discussed on the Internet. They may be valid; however, it’s a good idea to discuss them with your health care practitioner before jumping into any of them.
Age of Information
Just because a practice is old doesn’t mean that it doesn’t work. Likewise, just because something is new doesn’t mean that it’s the best option. Are there any studies comparing the two?
Consult
If you have a prescribed treatment for a chronic disease, condition or disability, always consult your health care practitioner before making any changes.
Privacy
One last thing to consider as you conduct research via the Internet, are you protecting your privacy? Many sites want site visitors to register with them or establish an account. That may be a valid thing to do, say if they’ll e-mail you updates. However, many sites collect and sell personal information. Who then has access to that information is out of your control. Since identity theft is a problem these days, carefully consider who you give your personal information to.
For more information on safely surfing the web, please see:
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