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Expert Tip What to look out for when you google disease
Whether a fast-acting home remedy for colds, side effects of drugs or help with toothache: Many people seek advice on the Internet when they feel sick or want to know more about a health issue. The network can be very useful here - but there are a few things to keep in mind when looking for legitimate information. Because not every page is trustworthy and even the top hits in the Google search offer no guarantee. In an interview with the news agency "dpa" experts give tips on what is important in Internet research.
Almost everyone uses the net for research on health issues
What could this stinging abdominal pain indicate? Which home remedy for fever is the best? And what does it mean if the doctor diagnoses "sinusitis"? Questions like these often lead to advice and information being sought on the internet. According to a representative survey by the communications consultancy MSL Germany, almost three quarters of the German population as a whole use the Internet regularly (42 percent) or occasionally (32 percent) for research on health issues. The net offers a sheer endless amount of information and it is often not easy to keep a clear view.
The Internet can be of great help if you have questions about health issues - if you keep a few important points in mind. (Image: psdesign1 / fotolia.com) Search engines take over the sorting work
Often, therefore, a search engine such as Google or Bing used to get the supposedly best pages on the subject. But this ranking can quickly deceive, because "the top hit but no guarantee that the pages also provide current and balanced content on a topic," emphasizes Klaus Koch of the Institute for quality and efficiency in health care compared to the "dpa". The placement says nothing about the actual quality of the posts, but gives at most information about the number of queries or the general "success" of the page.
Article should contain information about the author
Gunnar Schwan from Stiftung Warentest also knows what consumers should look for when looking for good, respectable health care websites. A few years ago, the foundation had been examining medical websites online and came to the conclusion that, although false information is rare, it sometimes has gaps. To be regarded as a good health side, it must be "balanced and up-to-date and transparent," says Schwan. For example, quality can be recognized by the fact that several treatment options are always described and the text contains information about the author at the end. Also the date of publication plays a role, because "a text should not be older than two years", adds the expert. If this is the case, it must be noted that the contents still correspond to the current state of research.
Also certificates are no guarantee for correct contents
Consumers should never rely on just one source, according to the goods tester. So, just using the top hit on Google search does not make sense. Instead, it is advisable to always read several pages on the subject in order to get a better overview and to be able to discover or assess contradictions. Certificates such as the Swiss Health on the Net Foundation's Hon Seal and the afgis seal from the Health Information Action Forum could help find a good health portal, according to the experts. Because these at least point to a reliable source - but if this also provides good and correct content is not guaranteed by this, Koch points out.
Consider information only as a supplement to medical advice
If one has researched a mountain of information as a user, the question often arises "And what do I do with it now?" For it is not easy to classify all the contents correctly. From the experts' point of view, these should normally only be considered as a supplement to the professional advice of the physician or, after treatment, e.g. to provide additional information about a drug. "They help to prepare for the appointment with the doctor in order to be able to ask more specifically," says Gretje Stelzenmüller of the consumer center North Rhine-Westphalia to the "dpa".
Also, to learn more about diseases of friends or relatives, the Internet could be very useful as Stelzenmüller. But to be on the safe side, other sources of knowledge should also be used here: "Information from the Internet can also be misleading or misunderstood. That's why you should not just rely on the Internet, "says the expert's advice. According to Gunnar Schwan, Internet forums on health topics are not necessarily the first place to receive well-founded and objective information. But even these can be quite useful to the seeker to to exchange experiences with certain therapeutic approaches. (No)