Get trustworthy health advice online

The web is teeming with health advice and a growing number of us now look for information online instead of dusting down the family health guide or going to our GP.

There’s even a term – cyberchondriac – for people who frequently look up their symptoms online. The ease and speed of accessing information means that health websites are hugely popular but which ones are trustworthy and how can you tell if the advice is objective?

There are plenty of excellent health resources online and it pays to discover them. Studies show that people who ask questions get the best possible treatment and most doctors welcome well-informed and proactive patients.

Whether you need the facts on a condition, want tips on healthy living or are just curious about an aspect of your health, we will show you how to get to the good stuff.

It’s easy to see why more of us are turning to the web for medical advice. There’s the convenience and immediacy of getting answers online, doing away with the wait for a doctor’s appointment. Many people struggle to find the time to go to their GP’s surgery, especially those with busy work schedules.

Some ailments seem too small to bother your doctor with. You may decide that a funny looking pimple or a dose of athlete’s foot isn’t worth a consultation so it’s straight to the computer instead.

Anonymity is another factor that draws people to health sites. If you’ve got an embarrassing health problem it may seem easier to research it using the privacy of the web rather than discussing it with your family doctor.

There are whole sites dedicated to embarrassing subjects, covering everything from incontinence to dandruff. Delicate topics such as sexual and mental health still carry a stigma for some people, who would much prefer to seek advice from the safety of their own home.

Even those who have consulted their GP often want to gather more information from the web. As most appointments are only 10 minutes it’s understandable that patients follow up with their own research.

The pitfalls of medical advice on the web
The net is increasingly being used to get a second opinion or, more worryingly, a sole opinion. This is dangerous because health advice can sound authoritative, even when it’s wrong.

For people without a medical background it’s difficult to judge the accuracy of information. Self diagnosis and subsequent treatment is particularly risky. Despite organisations such as the British Medical Association warning of the dangers, almost four out of 10 people have diagnosed themselves after consulting a website.

False conclusions can lead to the wrong medication or treatment and the real cause of the symptoms being left untreated. If it’s something serious the consequences could be dire, so never use the internet as a substitute for seeing a doctor.

A recent study showed the perils of researching a child’s medical problems on the net. Researchers from Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust found that only around 200 of 500 sites offered correct information when they searched Google for advice on five common child health issues.

The quality of advice varied significantly and only Government-run sites were completely reliable. The harshest criticism was aimed at the prominently placed sponsored links on the page, which often were only loosely related to the search terms and could be misleading.

Online adverts have come in for criticism before. In a report in the British Medical Journal last year, doctors warned that some contained worrying medical claims and inappropriate advertisements. Even sites not sponsored by advertisers included potentially damaging claims according to the report.

Who can I trust?
You’ll find the most accurate and up-to-date advice and information on Government sites such as NHS Choices and NHS Direct. NHS Choices is one of the most popular health websites in the UK and offers a comprehensive range of useful information in plain English, covering 800 treatments and conditions in its Health A to Z section. It allows you to pick from an alphabetical index or browse through a range of topics, such as pregnancy or vaccinations.

One of the most impressive aspects of the site is its extensive selection of videos where doctors, consultants and other medical professionals talk you through a particular condition or procedure while patients give an insight into living with that condition and describe their treatment.

Type in your postcode on the home page to find full details of all the services in your area, including GPs, hospitals, dentists, walk-in centres (where you don’t need an appointment) and pharmacies. You can even compare the quality of various hospitals, read other patients’ comments on GP surgeries and hospitals and leave your own feedback.