The Anatomy of a Quality Health Website
by Linda R. Bernstein, Pharm.D.
It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the amount of health information we hear and read about every day. How do we know it’s reliable? In Episode #4 of Dr. Linda TV – Best of Health!, entitled, “Be a Good Health Detective – 12 Questions to Verify Health Information” I talked about important issues to consider when assessing the quality of health information you receive from any number of sources.
In this article, I will focus on health websites. There are over 70,000 websites that provide health information, and this is an ever-increasing number. Numerous researchers have tried to pinpoint the qualities of a good health website. (1-3) Here are some key health website characteristics to look for:
The website should be well-designed, easy to access and use.
The information should be accurate, trustworthy, and updated regularly.
The site should fulfil the information needs of the person seeking answers.
The site should maintain the privacy of the user.
The content should be written by a health expert. If written by a journalist, they should cite their sources and have the article reviewed by a health expert before publication.
There should be customer support if applicable.
The creator should not have an underlying agenda that biases the information offered.
We will look at the “anatomy” of three websites NIH.GOV, WEBMD.COM and DRUGS.COM, that are considered reliable and high quality to see what they have to offer.
NIH.GOV
The website is offered by the National Institute of Health (NIH). It has no outside advertising because it is government funded. Here are some of its unique features:
Health Info Lines – Phone numbers to call within the NIH to obtain information on a variety of health, clinical and research topics.
Wellness Tool Kits – Printable health information sheets concerning your surroundings, feelings, body, relationships, and disease defense.
Clear Health from NIH – Links to health information articles about diseases, disorders or conditions from a variety of government agencies. Some resources are multi-lingual.
Talking With Your Doctor or Health Care Provider – Videos and articles with tips on how to best communicate with your health care providers, including specialty areas such as cancer, diabetes, and complementary health approaches.
WEBMD.COM
WEBMD.com is a general health website that has been in existence for many years. According to the website, they … “provide credible information, supportive communities, and in-depth reference material about health subjects that matter to you. …They are a source for original and timely health information as well as material from well-known content providers.”
It is important to distinguish between informational content and advertising when viewing this type of website. Advertising is labeled as such and is interspersed throughout the web pages. Their advertising policy states, “WebMD recognizes and maintains a distinct separation between Advertising and WebMD's editorial content. All Advertising on the WebMD Network will be clearly and unambiguously identified.”
Key areas within the site include:
Health A-Z: An A-Z index of health and medical topics.
Drugs and Supplements: You can search medications by letter or condition. There is a pill identifier, drug interaction checker, vitamins and supplements section and pharmacy finder based upon location.
Living Healthy: Offers articles, videos and slide shows on a variety of health, wellness and fitness topics addressing the needs of consumers of all ages.
Family & Pregnancy: Offers articles, videos, slide shows, checklists and other tools for parents and growing families.
News and Experts: Offers health news, alerts, recalls and special reports.
DRUGS.COM
DRUGS.COM is also a long-standing website and respected source of drug information. What makes it a reliable resource is that it draws its information from other trusted, non-biased sources. According to the website description, “The Drugs.com Drug Information Database is powered by several independent leading medical-information suppliers, including; American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, Cerner Multum and IBM Watson Micromedex. Individual drug (or drug-class) content compiled by these sources is peer reviewed and delivered by Drugs.com.” They also publish health content from Harvard Health Publications, Mayo Clinic, Animalytics (a compendium of veterinary products).
The site has several sections including:
Pill identifier
Interactions checker
Side effects index
Conditions and diseases index
Treatment guides
Side by side drug comparisons
Alerts and recently approved drug list from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Price guide
Advertising is clearly marked on the site. Their advertising policy states, “Drugs.com acceptance of any Advertisement is under no circumstances considered to be an endorsement of any advertised product or service or for the company that manufactures, distributes, or promotes the product or service.”
Finally, here is a list of reliable government websites that are excellent health and medication information resources.
MedlinePlus.gov - Powered by the U.S. National Library of Medicine, this site provides descriptions of and current consumer information on hundreds of medical terms and conditions, drugs, herbs, and supplements. You can find helpful videos and health check tools.
CDC.gov - Website of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Excellent resource for diseases and conditions, tips on healthy living, traveler’s health, and emergency preparedness. It has the latest COVID-19 and other vaccination guidelines for you and your family. It also addresses injury, violence and safety; environmental health, workplace safety and health, global health issues, and more.
FDA.gov - This website provides information for consumers and professionals about food, medications, medical devices, vaccines and biologics, cosmetics, tobacco and more. It provides regular news updates, informative articles, and useful guides.
Womenshealth.gov, Girlshealth.gov - These websites are operated by the Office on Women’s Health and the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The women’s health site offers informative articles on health and wellness, diseases and conditions, and reproductive health. The girls’ site delves into body image, fitness, nutrition, illness and disability, drugs, alcohol and smoking, feelings, relationships, bullying, safety and environment health.
Healthcare.gov - Affordable Care Act website. It offers tips on enrollment, plans, saving money, taxes, fees and exemption.
There are many great health information resources on the internet and there are some that are not so great. We have touched upon a few of the best. Remember, for personalized health information and guidance about your specific medical condition turn to your healthcare provider and pharmacist who know you best.
For Dr. Linda TV, I’m pharmacist, Dr. Linda Bernstein.
References
1) Boon-itt, Sakun.
Quality of health websites and their influence on perceived usefulness, trust and intention to use: an analysis from Thailand. Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship. 8, Article number: 4 (2019).
https://innovation-entrepreneurship.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s13731-018-0100-9
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2) Sbaffi L, Rowley J.
Trust and Credibility in Web-Based Health Information: A Review and Agenda for Future Research
J Med Internet Res 2017;19(6):e218 doi: 10.2196/jmir.7579 PMID: 28630033 PMCID: 5495972
https://www.jmir.org/2017/6/e218
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3) Tao D, LeRouge C, Smith KJ, De Leo G
Defining Information Quality Into Health Websites: A Conceptual Framework of Health Website Information Quality for Educated Young Adults
JMIR Hum Factors 2017;4(4):e25
doi: 10.2196/humanfactors.6455 PMID: 28986336 PMCID: 5650677