Evaluating the credibility and quality of online health information
Dr. Rob’s Video Transcript
f they are trying too hard to sell me something, it’s a problem. There’s a famous vitamin company out there that has folks calling on people and having their own websites and making all sorts of claims that the parent company may or may not be encouraging them to do, but it often leads to the sale of this, that, or another supplement.
If someone’s trying to sell you something, that’s not the place to look for information on what they’re selling you. Look other places.
You can start with something like Google. If you want real articles, go to a place called PubMed. That’s where people like me go to find published articles.
Are there peer-reviewed articles? Peer-reviewed means not just that I wrote an article, called it a blog, and posted it, but that I submitted it to a group of editors in a medical journal that have no loyalty or secondary gain from insurance companies, drug manufacturers, or hospitals. They just want to look at the science of that article.
If they are my peers, and if they review it and it’s published, it’s published for the reason that all my other peers around the world can look at that article and try to duplicate my results.
If there are several different studies with the same results and a review article comes together saying this is a best practice for this disease, those are the articles you want to find. PubMed is the place to do it.
Search for peer-reviewed articles on this drug for this disease, or a peer-reviewed article on a condition or procedure. Certain procedures that are done — one was coffee enemas literally being done to help treat cancer patients — have no proof, but they have people who swear by them and believe them. And everyone can pay someone to do a testimonial, especially when with a simple camera, you can be on TV and look professional.
If in doubt, check with your board-certified caregiver, or ask at your local public health department. Search the CDC website about best practices for that condition or disease and that will help you quite a bit.
If they’re selling it too hard, be wary.
One more thing. Sometimes a doctor or hospital will push a treatment. It’s kind of like if you’re a carpenter and you have a hammer, you treat everything like you can nail it. Or if the other tool you have is a screwdriver, you like to use screws instead.
Sometimes a hospital will have a cath lab that’s not the best one for the condition. For your patients, ask around. Where is the best cardiac cath lab? Where is the best MRI scanner? Which ones are the newer ones that have the highest resolution so I can get the best pictures? Which labs can give answers quickly and accurately?
Those are the kinds of things to look into in your community as well, as part of your role as a digital health navigator. Be a sleuth and find out the best resources to take your clients to.
By doing that, you’ll be a force for health.
CREDIBILITY AND QUALITY ARE IMPORTANT
Learn It
Evaluating online health information is essential for safety and accuracy. Digital Navigators teach users to check domains like .gov, .edu, and .org; review authors’ credentials; and examine editorial policies for transparency. Users should check whether claims are supported by evidence-based research, compare information across multiple reliable sources, and avoid sensational or profit-driven content. Up-to-date, unbiased, scientifically supported information is the foundation of trustworthy online health resources.
Live It
Practice evaluating a few health websites. Check the domain, look for author credentials, and scan for references or citations. Review publication dates to ensure the content is current. Compare two sites on the same topic to see which is more evidence-based and which may show bias or promotional intent. This hands-on practice strengthens your own ability to guide users through safe and accurate online health searching.
Share It
Create a short checklist titled “How to Spot Trustworthy Health Information Online.” Include steps such as: check the domain, verify authorship, confirm evidence, examine editorial policies, and watch for bias or sensational claims. Share your checklist with classmates or on your Force for Health feed. Encourage peers to cross-reference information and trust their instincts—if a claim looks too good to be true, it likely is.
Be skeptical and research the information
Trust their instincts—if a claim looks too good to be true, it likely is.
