The World Wide Web has a great deal to offer, but anyone can post anything there. When seeking medical information, it is important to be careful choosing a Web site. Medical information must be accurate and up-to-date to be useful.

Before using the information that you find, ask yourself a few questions about its origin:

-- What's the purpose of this site?
-- Who is the audience?
-- Are they trying to sell you something?

-- Who wrote, developed, and/or paid for the site? What qualifications/credentials do these people have?
Drug companies sponsor many medical sites. This does not mean that they are bad, but it is something to think about, especially when considering treatment options. Other sites may belong to proponents of unorthodox therapies. Think about how these may fit into your health agenda. Sites produced by medical schools, universities, and government agencies are good places to start.

-- Does the site reflect a particular opinion?
If so, do you want to explore other points-of-view to get a balanced picture?

-- Is it up to date?
Look for the date of the last revision. Medical information changes rapidly. Old information is less useful and may even be dangerous.

-- Is it accurate?
Look at the sources used.

-- Does it help answer your questions?
Be sure to check with a librarian for more information about your subject.

These Web sites are reliable sources of medical information:

Asbestos Cancer and Mesothelioma Prognosis Asbestos.net
Mesothelioma & Asbestos Cancer resource

Cleveland Clinic http://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/default.aspx
The Cleveland Clinic offers health information, interactive quizzes, podcast, and videos as well as scheduled live chats with medical specialists.

The National Library of Medicine site http://www.nlm.nih.gov is a gateway to many health resources. For academic clinical medical journals from all over the world use PubMed http://pubmed.gov. For consumer health information in English and Spanish use MedlinePlus http://medlineplus.gov.

Healthfinder http://www.healthfinder.gov.
The Department of Health and Human Services produces this site for consumers with links to online publications, support groups, and other agencies. Information is also available in Spanish.

International Classification of Diseases http://icd9cm.chrisendres.com/index.php
This site offers free searches of ICD9, the International Classification of Diseases, one of the major medical coding systems used for billing and medical records.

California Nursing Home Search http://www.calnhs.org
This search offers information about choosing a nursing home, alternatives to nursing homes, the
financial aspects of long-term care, and government and other resources.

National Women’s Health Center http://www.womenshealth.gov.
This database form the federal government provides current information about women’s health in English and Spanish.

Go Ask Alice http://www.goaskalice.columbia.edu.
Health educators from the Columbia University School of Public Health have created this excellent site with health information for young adults.

AMA Physician Select http://www.ama-assn.org/aps/amahg.htm.
This is a directory of physicians offering name, address, telephone number, education, board certification, and practice information.

Mayo Clinic Health Oasis http://www.mayoclinic.com
This site offers general health information and news from a respected clinic.

Nutrition.gov http://www.nutrition.gov.
This federal resource offers links to all government Web sites with reliable, accurate information on diet and nutrition.

Oncolink http://www.oncolink.upenn.edu.
The University of Pennsylvania Cancer Center provides cancer information and links to relevant sites.

RxList http://www.rxlist.com.
RxList lets users check the accuracy of medical advice and prescriptions. Drugs can be searched for by name, keyword, and imprint code.

Informed Health Online http://www.informedhealthonline.org.
This site provides information from medical schools all over the world explaining how to interpret clinical literature.

SPIRAL: Selected Patient Information Resources in Asian Languages http://www.library.tufts.edu/hsl/spiral/
This site has consumer health information in Chinese, Hmong, Khmer, Korean, Laotian, Thai, and Vietnamese.

Healthy Roads Media http://www.healthyroadsmedia.org This site has quality health information in a variety of languages. It includes written material, audio, and streaming video.

Health Information Translations http://www.healthinformationtranslations.com A number of medical institutions in Ohio have collaborated to provide information about disaster preparedness, diagnostic tests, fitness, and diseases and conditions in many languages.

The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine http://nccam.nih.gov This new center at the National Institutes of Health does research on alternative therapies and provides evidence-based information about these treatments and their effectiveness.

NIH Senior Health http://nihseniorhealth.gov This site has health information for seniors that is easy to read. It also has adaptive technology features such as text size and contrast adjustment and audio to read the articles out loud.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention http://www.cdc.gov This site has information on health and safety,
travel health, and health statistics.

Technology for Long Term Care www.techforltc.org . This site is a free government-funded resource with information on technology products to improve life for people in long-term care.

Be a Survivor: Your Guide to Breast Cancer Treatment www.beasurvivor.com has excellent information about all aspects of breast cancer diagnosis and treatment.

DeafMD www.deafmd.org .This site provides health information about common problems in American Sign Language. It also has a directory of deaf-friendly physicians.

ElderGadget www.eldergadget.com. This site evaluates electronic devices such as cell phones, digital cameras, and tablet computers to see how easy they are for seniors and others with visual or hearing impairment to use. It includes items such as locators for people with Alzheimer disease and alarm clocks with sun-stimulating light for those who can’t hear alarms.

Rating the Rating Resources

Websites:
Informed Patient Institute www.informedpatientinstitute.org rates rating websites.

Medicare Hospital Compare www.hospitalcompare.hhs.gov Allows searching of hospitals geographically and comparing up to three on various criteria.

Medical Board of California www.medbd.ca.gov Verify physician licensing and disciplinary actions.

The Joint Commission http://qualitycheck.org Provides basic information about hospitals. The Joint Commission is the accrediting body for health care institutions.

Cal Hospital Compare www.calhospitalcompare.org Rates the quality of clinical care, patient safety, and patient experience in California Hospitals. The California Healthcare Foundation provides the information.

Alameda-Contra Costa Medical Association www.accma.org Local medical society website with information about physicians who are members. Print directory at Main reference desk R610 Alameda 2011

HealthGrades http://www.healthgrades.com Social networking site that rates physicians, dentists, and hospitals. It is the best of several (RateMDs.com, Vitals.com, Fr.Score.com), including information on education, sanctions, etc.

U.S. News Best Hospitals http://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals/rankings U.S. News and World Reports ranks hospitals annually, best for cancer, neurosurgery, etc. It also rates health insurance plans and nursing homes, although some information is not free.

America’s Top Doctors http://www.castleconnolly.com/ The publishers of this book have a website which rates doctors and hospitals. Anything beyond a name costs money.

MedlinePlus Directories http://medlineplus.gov MedlinePlus has directories of general and specialized physicians, dentists, hospitals, and other providers and services (nurse midwives, psychotherapists, diabetes camps, etc.). They are not rated, but all of the information is vetted.

Print Sources
Bay Area Consumers’ Checkbook rates physicians, dentists, health care plans, etc. They publish Consumers’ Guide to Top Doctors annually. The lists come from a survey of local physicians. At Main reference desk

America’s Top Doctors Published annually by Castle Connolly, this directory lists the top specialists in the country, based on surveys and telephone interviews of physicians conducted by physicians. It is good for those in need of very specialized care. R610.695 America’s 2011

For more assistance, visit the Science, Business and Social Science desk at the Oakland Main Library.