It can be difficult for families to find credible, current information about healthcare online. The following suggestions from CaCoon Health Notes are designed to help parents and professionals navigate the world of internet searching.
1. Look for an "About Us" section to see who owns the website. Website addresses ending in "edu," "org," and "gov" are more likely to contain unbiased information.
2. Watch for Advertising. Although some very good sites have advertising, many sites are trying to sell their own product.
3. Be a Skeptic. Watch for sites that claim "miracle cures." If it seems to good to be true, it probably is not true.
4. Look for evidence. If studies or people are mentioned, see if the papers are cited, or seek more information on the person/reports mentioned.
5. If you opt to "google" a specific condition, try searching for "health care guidelines for condition name" or "critical elements of care for condition name." These phrases are more likely to turn up credible information than simply searching the name of the condition alone.
6. Consult a reliable website. The list below provides some legitimate websites with information regarding medical conditions.
- Medline Plus (www.medlineplus.gov)
- Center for Children at Seattle Children's Hospital (www.cshcn.org/diagnosis-information
- American Academy of Pediatrics (www.aap.org)
- PubMed (www.pubmed.gov)
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