WHO IS ANSWERING YOUR HEALTH-RELATED QUESTIONS?

Seeking health information online comes with its own risks. Image credit: *JAIKISHAN PATEL* on Unsplash.

By AAMINAH NAJMUS SAHAR

The internet has provided us with the immense benefit of finding health information online. This helps us better understand any condition by identifying signs and symptoms to look out for, determining lifestyle modifications that can be implemented to manage the disease, and finding other people’s experiences with the same condition.

With that being said, like many things, seeking health information online comes with its own risks. The major risk is finding reliable, accurate, and up-to-date health information.

The search for health information online has only gained popularity in recent years, especially post-COVID-19.

With the limitations imposed on hospital visits, quarantines in place, people turned towards the internet to seek health information and clear their doubts.

Telemedicine peaked during this time, but so did misinformation and false claims.

There was plenty of misinformation circulating through social media during the COVID-19 pandemic, and people being unable to differentiate between right and wrong information just continued to spread the false claims. This led to healthcare mistrust in some individuals. Thus, it is essential to seek health information online from trusted sources to ensure the information is accurate, up-to-date, and does not lead to false claims and healthcare mistrust.

Seeking health information online has plenty of benefits. The information is easily accessible and free of charge. Individuals can anonymously access health information on any condition.

There is a vast collection of information available, including signs and symptoms of a disease, lab tests needed for its diagnosis, management, lifestyle modifications, people’s experiences in dealing with the disease, support group information, etc. Many people seek health information online to get a second opinion on their diagnosis or to understand their condition better.

Studies have shown that people who research/study their condition before visiting the doctor are more likely to visit the doctor, ask informed questions, and actively participate in the management of their condition. Several diseases can be well managed/avoided with lifestyle modifications. Seeking health information online helps individuals make positive lifestyle modifications and avoid several diseases. It can also help improve health literacy and thereby disease management and quality of life.

However, it is important to remember that the health information sought online is not superior to a doctor’s diagnosis and judgment. It should be used as an aid and not a replacement for a doctor’s diagnosis.

But how do you know which resources are trusted while seeking health information online?

Firstly, check who published the article. Is it by a government body or a renowned healthcare body? If yes, then the information is likely accurate. Examples include the information posted by:

• Government bodies: Health Canada, the Public Health Agency of Canada, and Provincial and Territorial health authorities, etc.

• Hospitals and medical Institutions: Mayo Clinic, University Health Network, Cleveland Clinic, Harvard Medical School, etc.

• Professional and non-profit organizations: World Health Organization (WHO), Canadian Medical Association (CMA), Canadian Pediatric Society (CPS), Canadian Cancer Society, etc.

• Other reliable sources include Medline, PubMed, peer-reviewed health journals, health apps like Medscape, Micromedex, Trusted/ renowned doctors’ blogs, etc.

Check when the article was written; recent articles are up-to-date and accurate. If the article was written many years ago, chances are the latest information is not updated in the article; such articles may not be the best resource for health information.

Also, check who wrote the article and their agenda behind the article. If the article is written by a pharmaceutical company trying to sell their medication, or a social media influencer trying to promote something, chances are the health information is biased. You would want to avoid such articles, as they may not be the best unbiased source of health information for you.

In addition to this, try to avoid any articles with red flags that may indicate it is not reliable. For example, an article without author or organization details, articles with miraculous/healing/secret cure claims, articles with poor grammar or spelling mistakes, and articles with too much medical jargon that would further confuse the common man, rather than clearing their doubts. Health information circulating on social media may not be accurate, but everyone can seek health information for themselves by using the above-mentioned steps to avoid misinformation.

Seeking health information online can be considered a double-edged sword.

If not done from trusted sources, it may lead to further confusion, health anxiety, unnecessary doctor visits/ avoiding doctor visits even when it’s necessary, and trying self-treatment and healthcare mistrust. All of this can worsen disease management and the health of individuals. On the other hand, seeking health information from reliable, trusted sources can improve health literacy, disease management, and significantly improve an individual’s health and quality of life.

• Please consult your family physician before following any of the suggested remedies/steps above.

HEALTH FILE

WHO IS ANSWERING YOUR HEALTH-RELATED QUESTIONS?