Photo by Patrick Hendry on Unsplash
Photo by Brooke Lark on Unsplash
Consumer Health Information
Consumer health is important because it is directly related to the overall health of the population. When individuals are able to access healthcare, understand health information, make healthy choices, and achieve good health outcomes, the overall health of the population improves. The internet has made searching for consumer health information a much simpler task, and since everyone, at one point or another, will need to look up health information, this guide is designed to provide helpful links and resources to take into consideration when searching for answers.
Disclaimer:
The information provided in this resource is meant for general information purposes only and should not be used in place of professional medical advice, diagnoses, or medical treatment. Please consult with licensed medical professionals for further information or additional questions.
Evaluating Health Information on the Web
Make sure health information from the web comes from a reliable source. Not everything you read on the internet is true or is posted with good intentions. The following links provide tips on how to navigate the world of health information, but whenever in doubt consult your physician.
Evaluating Health Information Resources
The National Network of Libraries of Medicine provides this guide on how to evaluate health information resources on the internet with some good tips and tricks to keep in mind.
https://www.nnlm.gov/public-libraries/evaluating-health-information
Finding and Evaluating Online Resources
This resource, from the National Institutes of Health, provides insights on what to look for when looking at health information, and even touches on fake news.
https://nccih.nih.gov/health/webresources
From the Medical Library Association, this source discusses step-by-step thr process one should take to evaluate medical information found on the internet.
https://www.mlanet.org/resources/userguide.html
This resource, also from the National Network of Libraries of Medicine, discusses how to increase one's health literacy, or ability to obtain and process health information to make informed decisions.
https://nnlm.gov/initiatives/topics/health-literacy