Finding and Evaluating Online Resources
What’s the Bottom Line?
How much do we know about online resources for complementary health approaches?
The number of Web and social media sites, along with mobile apps, offering health information about complementary and integrative health approaches (often called complementary and alternative medicine) grows every day.
What do we know about the accuracy of online health information?
- Some online sources of information on complementary health approaches are useful, but others are inaccurate or misleading.
- Don't rely on online resources when making decisions about your health. If you’re considering a complementary health approach, discuss it with your health care provider.
Checking Out Online Sources of Health Information: Five Quick Questions
If you're visiting an online health site for the first time or downloading a new app, ask these five questions:
- Who runs or created the site or app? Can you trust them?
- What is the site or app promising or offering? Do its claims seem too good to be true?
- When was its information written or reviewed? Is it up-to-date?
- Where does the information come from? Is it based on scientific research?
- Why does the site or app exist? Is it selling something?
- To find accurate health information, start with one of these organized collections of high-quality resources:
- MedlinePlus, sponsored by the National Library of Medicine, which is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH)
- healthfinder.gov, sponsored by the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
- If you're looking for information about complementary and integrative health approaches:
- Use the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) Web site as a starting point. NCCIH is the Federal Government's lead agency for scientific research on complementary and integrative health approaches.
- Follow NCCIH on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram. These accounts are updated and managed by NCCIH and provide the latest resources on a variety of complementary health approaches.
- For information on dietary supplements, visit the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements Web site.
- For additional reliable resources from Federal agencies or the World Health Organization on complementary health approaches, visit NCCIH's Links to Other Organizations page.
- About one-third of American adults use social networking sites, such as Facebook or Twitter, as a source of health information. If you do:
- Check the sponsor's Web site.
- Health information on social networking sites is often very brief. For more information, go to the sponsoring organization's Web site. On Twitter, look for a link to the Web site in the header; on Facebook, look in the About section.
- Verify that social media accounts are what they claim to be.
- Some social networking sites have a symbol that an account has been verified. For example, Twitter uses a blue badge.
- Use the link from the organization's official Web site to go to its social networking sites.
- There are thousands of mobile apps (a software program you access using your phone or other mobile device) that provide health information you can read on your mobile devices. Almost 20 percent of smartphone owners had at least one health app on their phones in 2012.
- Keep these things in mind when using a mobile health app:
- The content of most apps isn't written or reviewed by medical experts and may be inaccurate and unsafe. In addition, the information you enter when using an app may not be secure.
- There's little research on the benefits, risks, and impact of health apps, such as the many mindfulness meditation apps that are now available.
- It's not always easy to know what personal information an app will access or how it will store your data.
- Before you download an app, find out if the store you get the app from says who created it. Don't trust the app if contact or Web site information for the creator isn't available.
- Some reliable health apps created by Government agencies can be found by visiting:
- For more information on mobile health apps and safety, see these Federal Trade Commission Web pages:
Some of the health information you'll find online is in the form of news reports. Some of these reports are reliable, but others are confusing, conflicting, or misleading, or they may be missing important information. To find out how to evaluate news stories about complementary health, visit our interactive module Know the Science: The Facts About Health News Stories.
Some of the health information you'll find online is in the form of news reports. Some of these reports are reliable, but others are confusing, conflicting, or misleading, or they may be missing important information. To find out how to evaluate news stories about complementary health, visit our interactive module Know the Science: The Facts About Health News Stories.
More Questions To Ask When Finding Health Information on Web Sites
Your search for online health information may start at a known, trusted site, but after following several links, you may find yourself on an unfamiliar site. Can you trust this site? Here are some key questions you need to ask.
- Any reliable health-related Web site should make it easy for you to learn who's responsible for the site. For example, on the NCCIH Web site, each major page identifies NCCIH and, because NCCIH is part of NIH, provides a link to the NIH home page. You should be able to find out who runs a Web site and its purpose on the "About Us" page.
- A Web address (such as NCCIH's) that ends in ".gov" means it's a government-sponsored site; ".edu" indicates an educational institution; ".org" usually means a noncommercial organization and ".com" a commercial organization. Some ".org" sites belong to organizations that promote an agenda; their content may be biased.
- Who pays for the site? Does the site sell advertising? Is it sponsored by a company that sells dietary supplements, drugs, or other products or services? Confirm any information you find on a site that sells products with an independent site that doesn't sell products.
- Many health or medical sites post information collected from other Web sites or sources, which should be identified. For example, the Health Topics A-Z page on the NCCIH site provides links to documents that NCCIH didn't create—but we name the sources of the documents.
- The site should describe the evidence (such as articles in medical journals) that the material is based on. Also, opinions or advice should be clearly set apart from information that's "evidence-based" (based on research results). For example, if a site discusses health benefits you can expect from a treatment, look for references to scientific research that clearly support what's said.
- Keep in mind that testimonials, anecdotes, unsupported claims, and opinions aren't the same as objective, evidence-based information.
- You can be more confident in the quality of medical information on a Web site if health experts reviewed it. Some Web sites have an editorial board that reviews content. Others put the names and credentials of reviewers in an Acknowledgments section near the end of the page.
- Outdated medical information can be misleading or even dangerous. Responsible health Web sites review and update much of their content on a regular basis, especially fact sheets and lists of frequently asked questions (FAQs). However, content such as news reports or meeting summaries that describe an event usually isn't updated. To find out whether information is old, look for a date on the page (it's often near the bottom).
- Some sites don't link to any other sites, some link to any site that asks or pays for a link, and others link only to sites that meet certain criteria. You may be able to find information on the site about its linking policy. (For example, NCCIH's linking policy is available on the NCCIH Web Site Information and Policies page.)
- Unless the site's linking policy is strict, don't assume that the sites that it links to are reliable. You should evaluate the linked sites just as you would any other site that you're visiting for the first time.
- Web sites track what pages you're looking at. They may also ask you to "subscribe" or "become a member." Any credible site collecting this kind of information should tell you exactly what it will and won't do with it.
- Many commercial sites sell "aggregate" (collected) data about their users to other companies—information such as what percentage of their users are women over 40. In some cases, they may collect and reuse information that's "personally identifiable," such as your ZIP Code, gender, and birth date.
- Read any privacy policy or similar language on the site, and don't sign up for anything you don't fully understand. You can find NCCIH's privacy policy on the NCCIH Web site.
- See if the address (URL) for the site starts with "https://" instead of "http://." Sites that use HTTPS (Secure Hyper Text Transfer Protocol) are encrypted, less likely to be hacked, and more likely to protect your privacy.
- You should always be able to contact the site owner if you run across problems or have questions or feedback. If the site hosts online discussion forums or message boards, it should explain the terms of use.
- If the site is linked to social networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook, or YouTube, spend some time reading what has been posted to see whether you feel comfortable with the tone before joining in. You may also be able to review past discussions. Also, look for a comments policy on the Web site, such as NCCIH's social media comments policy.
- Evaluating Health Websites (National Network of Libraries of Medicine)
- Using Trusted Resources (National Cancer Institute)
- How To Evaluate Health Information on the Internet: Questions and Answers (Office of Dietary Supplements)
- Evaluating Health Information (MedlinePlus)
- MedlinePlus Guide to Healthy Web Surfing (MedlinePlus)
- En español:
Are You Reading News or Advertising?
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has warned the public about fake online news sites. The site may look real, but is actually an advertisement. The site may use the logos of legitimate news organizations or similar names and Web addresses. To get you to sign up for whatever they're selling, they may describe an “investigation” into the effectiveness of the product. But everything is fake: there is no reporter, no news organization, and no investigation. Only the links to a sales site are real. Fake news sites have promoted questionable products, including acai berry for weight loss, work-at-home opportunities, and debt reduction plans.
You should suspect that a news site may be fake if it:
- Endorses a product. Real news organizations generally don't do this.
- Only quotes people who say good things about the product.
- Presents research findings that seem too good to be true. (If something seems too good to be true, it usually is.)
- Contains links to a sales site.
- Includes only positive reader comments, and you can't add a comment of your own.
How To Protect Yourself From Fake News Sites
If you suspect that a news site is fake, look for a disclaimer somewhere on the page (often in small print) that indicates that the site is an advertisement. Also, don't rely on Internet news reports when making important decisions about your health. If you're considering a health product described in the news, discuss it with your health care provider.
- Protecting Yourself (FDA)
- El Fraude en la Salud (FDA).
More to Consider
- If you're thinking about using a dietary supplement, first get information on it from reliable sources. Keep in mind that dietary supplements may interact with medications or other supplements and may contain ingredients not listed on the label. Your health care provider can advise you.
- Take charge of your health—talk with your health care providers about any complementary health approaches you use. Together, you can make shared, well-informed decisions.
For More Information
NCCIH Clearinghouse
The NCCIH Clearinghouse provides information on NCCIH and complementary and integrative health approaches, including publications and searches of Federal databases of scientific and medical literature. The Clearinghouse does not provide medical advice, treatment recommendations, or referrals to practitioners.
Toll-free in the U.S.: 1-888-644-6226
tty (for deaf and hard-of-hearing callers):
1-866-464-3615
Website: https://nccih.nih.gov/
Email: info@nccih.nih.gov (link sends e-mail)
PubMed®
A service of the National Library of Medicine, PubMed® contains publication information and (in most cases) brief summaries of articles from scientific and medical journals. For guidance from NCCIH on using PubMed, see How To Find Information About Complementary Health Approaches on PubMed.
Website: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
The National Cancer Institute is the Federal Government's lead agency for cancer research. The National Cancer Institute's Office of Cancer Complementary and Alternative Medicine coordinates and enhances the National Cancer Institute's activities in research on complementary health approaches.
Toll-free in the U.S.: 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237)
Website: https://www.cancer.gov/
Email: cancergovstaff@mail.nih.gov (link sends e-mail)
Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS), National Institutes of Health (NIH)
ODS seeks to strengthen knowledge and understanding of dietary supplements by evaluating scientific information, supporting research, sharing research results, and educating the public. Its resources include publications (such as Dietary Supplements: What You Need to Know), fact sheets on a variety of specific supplement ingredients and products (such as vitamin D and multivitamin/mineral supplements), and the PubMed Dietary Supplement Subset.
Website: https://ods.od.nih.gov/
Email: ods@nih.gov (link sends e-mail)
MedlinePlus
To provide resources that help answer health questions, MedlinePlus (a service of the National Library of Medicine) brings together authoritative information from the National Institutes of Health as well as other Government agencies and health-related organizations.
Website: https://www.medlineplus.gov/
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
The FDA oversees the safety of many products, such as foods, medicines, dietary supplements, medical devices, and cosmetics. See its webpage on Dietary Supplements.
Toll-free in the U.S.: 1-888-463-6332
Website: https://www.fda.gov/
Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN)
Part of the FDA, CFSAN oversees the safety and labeling of supplements, foods, and cosmetics. It provides information on dietary supplements. Online resources for consumers include Tips for Dietary Supplement Users: Making Informed Decisions and Evaluating Information.
Toll-free in the U.S.: 1-888-723-3366
Website: https://www.fda.gov/AboutFDA/CentersOffices/OfficeofFoods/CFSAN/
Dietary Supplement Label Database
The Dietary Supplement Label Database—a project of the National Institutes of Health—has all the information found on labels of many brands of dietary supplements marketed in the United States. Users can compare the amount of a nutrient listed on a label with the Government’s recommended amounts.
Website: https://dsld.nlm.nih.gov/dsld/
Key References
- Albrecht UV, Von Jan U, Pramann O. Standard reporting for medical apps. Studies in Health Technology and Informatics. 2013;190:201-203.
- Carissoli C, Villani D, Riva G. Does a meditation protocol supported by a mobile application help people reduce stress? Suggestions from a controlled pragmatic trial. Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking. 2015;18(1):46-53.
- Office of Dietary Supplements. How To Evaluate Health Information on the Internet: Questions and Answers. Office of Dietary Supplements Web site. Accessed at https://ods.od.nih.gov/Health_Information/How_To_Evaluate_Health_
- Information_on_the_Internet_Questions_and_Answers.aspx on November 29, 2016.
- Plaza I, Demarzo MM, Herrera-Mercadal P, et al. Mindfulness-based mobile applications: literature review and analysis of current features. JMIR mHealth and uHealth. 2013;1(2):e24.
- Subhi Y, Bube SH, Rolskov Bojsen S, et al. Expert involvement and adherence to medical evidence in medical mobile phone apps: a systematic review. JMIR mHealth and uHealth. 2015;3(3):e79.
- Boulos MN, Brewer AC, Karimkhani C, et al. Mobile medical and health apps: state of the art, concerns, regulatory control and certification. Online Journal of Public Health Informatics. 2014;5(3):229.
- Buying health products and services online. Federal Trade Commission Web site. Accessed at www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0023-buying-health-products-and-services-online on November 29, 2016.
- Comprar productos y servicios para la salud en internet. Federal Trade Commission Web site. Accessed at www.consumidor.ftc.gov/articulos/s0023-comprar-productos-y-servicios-para-la-salud-en-internet on November 29, 2016.
- Consumer Reports. Beware of Fake News Online. Consumer Reports Web site.
- Find quality resources. HealthIT.gov Web site. Accessed at www.healthit.gov/patients-families/find-quality-resources on November 29, 2016.
- Mani M, Kavanagh DJ, Hides L, et al. Review and evaluation of mindfulness-based iPhone apps. JMIR mHealth and uHealth. 2015;3(3):e82
- Marcano Belisario JS, Huckvale K, Greenfield G, et al. Smartphone and tablet self management apps for asthma. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2013;(11):CD010013. Accessed at https://www.cochranelibrary.com on November 29, 2016.
- Martínez-Pérez B, de la Torre-Díez I, López-Coronado M. Privacy and security in mobile health apps: a review and recommendations. Journal of Medical Systems. 2015;39(1):181.
- Wallace LS, Dhingra LK. A systematic review of smartphone applications for chronic pain available for download in the United States. Journal of Opioid Management. 2014;10(1):63-68.
This publication is not copyrighted and is in the public domain. Duplication is encouraged.
NCCIH has provided this material for your information. It is not intended to substitute for the medical expertise and advice of your health care provider(s). We encourage you to discuss any decisions about treatment or care with your health care provider. The mention of any product, service, or therapy is not an endorsement by NCCIH.
