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 organizations 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 (www.nhs.uk) and NHS Direct (www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk). 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 centers (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.
If you're interested or worried by a health story you've seen in the news the 'Behind the Headlines' section looks at the science behind it and cuts through the scaremongering to get to the facts.
NHS Choices also has detailed information on what to do if you've been unhappy about an experience with the NHS, what your rights are and who can help you. The Patient Advice and Liaison Service site (www.pals.nhs.uk) is a good place to start if you're dissatisfied with a healthcare professional or service.
If you want to look further than the NHS there are plenty of trustworthy websites that aren't run by the Government. Private healthcare company Bupa (www.bupa.co.uk) provides excellent health fact-sheets that are approved by relevant medical experts and split into easily digestible sections. Many of the fact-sheets include anatomical pictures and animations to demonstrate a condition or treatment. The site is particularly good regarding information on operations and other procedures, describing exactly what happens as well as making the risks clear, listing recovery times and alternatives to consider.
Although you should be wary of the sponsored links that pop up through search engines, don't dismiss every site that is funded through advertising as some of them provide useful, impartial advice. Net Doctor (www.netdoctor.co.uk) and Patient UK (www.patient. co.uk) are good examples of this. Net Doctor is an accessible, all-round site written by health experts and features an encyclopaedia split into helpful sections such as conditions, medicines, procedures and support groups. Topical articles appropriate to the time of year appear on the home page and fact-sheets give you advice on topics such as how to get the most out of a doctor's appointment or home visits and out-of-hours care.
Patient UK is a favourite with doctors and was launched by a husband and wife team, who are both GPs. Information leaflets give detailed guidance on every possible health condition. It's possible you have seen one before as they are the same ones printed out by many GPs for patients during a consultation. They feature a 'Top 15' most-requested leaflets section while diagrams and photos help bring the topics to life. All include details of support groups or associations for further advice.
A large team of medics provides the content and the site insists on editorial being unbiased and completely free from commercial interest. It is a great resource for anyone looking to find out the benefits and side effects of prescription and over-the-counter medicines on the web. It also has a useful section for finding qualified and registered non-NHS practitioners in areas such as osteopathy, acupuncture and psychotherapy so you don't end-up seeing a charlatan whose website you've stumbled across. One of the best reasons to visit Patient UK is its directory of more than a thousand pages of health information across a range of UK websites, all selected by doctors. There's a video directory and a popular patient experience forum too.
For serious or long-term health problems a great place for more help and advice beyond your doctors is a recognized and registered charity for your condition. Well-known charities such as the British Heart Foundation (www.bhf.org.uk), Cancer Research UK {yvww.cancerresearchuk.org) and Diabetes UK (www.diabetes.org.uk) will invariably have extensive information on the web including the latest news about cutting-edge treatments and results from clinical trials and research. Most charities will also have details of where you can get more help such as a support group or helpline. For anything related to mental health the Mental Health Foundation (www.mentalhealth.org.uk) or Mind (www.mind.org.uk) have good websites covering all aspects or you could visit a charity such as Depression Alliance (www. depressionalliance. org).
Prevention is better than cure
You don't have to be ill to benefit from health advice on the net. Many sites include extensive information on healthy living to help you ward off any problems in the first place.
NHS Choices is a good place to start but the BBC also has a health site (www.bbc.co.uk/health), which includes plenty of tips on nutrition, fitness and lifestyle. It includes sections on the different issues affecting men, women and people over 50 as well as looking at weight and how to diet sensibly if you're a little heavier than you should be.
You can find the right exercise for you using the guide to activities from running to badminton, or work out your body mass index with the calculator tool. Diabetes UK also has a tool where you can determine your risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, which is influenced by factors including being overweight.
The Government-run Food Standards Agency (www.eatwell.gov.uk) is a goldmine of information on healthy eating, with advice on how to get all the vitamins and minerals you need, what to avoid during pregnancy, understanding food labels in supermarkets and guidance for specific age groups.
For help with giving up smoking try Quit (www.quit. org.uk) or find local stop-smoking services by putting your postcode into the NHS Choices website.
The golden rules
To avoid information that is at best patchy and confusing and at worst totally misleading or dangerous stick to well-known sites where the content is written by impartial experts. Patient forums are great for sharing personal experiences and finding emotional support but don't rely on them for accurate or unbiased advice. Sites with obvious commercial agendas or those promoting miracle cures should be given a very wide berth.
There's a great deal of valuable health information on the web as long as you know where to look. The good sites allow you to be well informed, and therefore more in control of your own health.
