Health Information on the Internet

By Michael Bihari, MD 
President, Board of Directors, Community Health Center of Cape Cod and member of the Falmouth Public Schools Health Advisory Committee

I must admit that I’m an Internet junkie. Outside of work, I spend many hours online every day – working, playing games, shopping for things I don’t need, banking, refilling medications, and downloading healthy recipes. Most important, I use the Internet to find healthcare information for myself and my family and friends. The Internet is an incredible source of in-depth and up-to-date information about a wide range of health and medical issues.

There are thousands of health-related websites on the internet. Many sites provide valuable information that is reliable and can be trusted. However, there is also a lot of information online that is misleading or completely inaccurate. Choosing which website to trust is worth thinking about.

Since 1999, I have been actively involved in the development of content for health-related websites and have spent a great deal of time searching for and evaluating online medical information. This article presents some of my thoughts about how to use the Internet safely and includes recommendations for some of my favorite health sites. 

Finding Accurate Information - Some tips on how to recognize web sites with accurate information.

Internet Resource Directory - Information about some of the best health sites on the Internet