Consumer health information is in great demand, and the widespread availability of such information has both positive and negative aspects.

Many types of information may be found on the Internet, ranging from condition-specific organizational websites, associations, and self-help groups, to organizational and commercial Web portals (“weblio graphies”) and freely available, up-to-date medical literature. The amount of health-related information on the Web is overwhelming, and if you wonder whether or not it is reliable, you're not alone. This chapter focuses on a few excellent health websites and on techniques for evaluating other health information sites you may find in your explorations.

Although the Internet is a significant resource for finding health information, it is very important to evaluate the information you read and/or use. Therefore, part of this chapter is devoted to skills for evaluating health-related websites. This chapter is not meant to be comprehensive. Indeed, with the overabundance of health websites aimed at consumers, it would be impossible to cover them all. However, it does point you toward good sites for answering many consumer health questions and should give you confidence in your ability to judge health information you encounter while searching for health information for yourself or others. Knowing where to look for information, and how to evaluate and interpret it, may allow you to take more control of your health.

The Pew Internet and American Life Project (Pew) provides a very interesting background on the use of the Internet for finding health information.