How to Search for Websites with Credible and Reliable Medical Information Online

Are you looking for credible health information online? If so, you've come to the right place. In this article, I would be sharing with you some tips on how to find credible/accurate/trustworthy health information online. The Internet has been a lifesaver for us all, for the most part. We can now access information at the click of a button and the ease and speed with which we can do so is amazing. However, as with everything else, more doesn't necessarily equate to good. When it comes to health information, there are millions of web pages out there. Many of these web pages/websites are owned by folks just like you and me, who aren't physicians and don't even have a medical background. In many cases, the objective behind starting these sites is to earn money, that's about it. So, can you expect an article written by someone with that goal to be credible and trustworthy? Well, the honest answer to that should be a "No" or at least a "I don't know." Either answer would not give you a sense of comfort or confidence. After all, the health information that you are seeking out could be crucial and could impact your life critically. So, why should you settle for anything less than the absolute best? You shouldn't!! So, how does one find credible/trustworthy/accurate medical information online?

Well, one of the first things you need to know is the difference in the addresses of various websites, specifically the address ending. For example, you should know that a website address that ends with ".org" suggests that it is a site of an organization or association. Similarly, a site address that ends with ".gov" suggests that it is a website of a governmental agency and a site address that ends with ".edu" suggests that it is a site that belongs to an educational facility like a university for example. Now, why is this important? Well, it is important because most of ".org," ".gov," and ".edu" websites are not-for-profit and so money isn't a driving factor behind the creation of content found on such websites. Also, content found on such websites are developed/screened/peer reviewed by physicians or other health professionals and are hence reliable. There are certain ".com" websites too that are highly reliable and can be looked at as exceptions. The website of Mayo Clinic, for example, would be one I would consider to be on par with many of the ".edu" and ".gov" websites. It is also a not-for-profit facility. WebMD would be another website that I might consider for looking up credible health information, although it is a commercial website. I would, however, stay away from sites such as Wikipedia even though it is a ".org" site.

So, is there a way you can search the web for just these sort of websites and not all user-generated, made-for-profit, unreliable websites? Well, thankfully, there is a way! The search tips that I am going to share below works in Google, but may also work with other search engines. All you have to do is to use the following search operators,

If you want to search for "flu symptoms" across websites with the ending ".edu" - your search query in Google should look like this,

"flu symptoms" site:*.edu

You would notice in the search results that all the websites that show up have the ending ".edu" in the site address.

Similarly, if you want to search for "flu symptoms" across websites with the ending ".gov" or ".org" - your search query in Google should look like this,

"flu symptoms" site:*.gov OR "flu symptoms" site:*.org

You can also use this customized Google search engine that searches just reputable health websites to find credible health information online.

Now, isn't that quite simple? You just have to do these simple modifications to your search query to ensure that you get the more reliable, accurate, and trustworthy health information available online. Well, happy searching and do remember health information you find online should only be a way to educate yourself and to equip yourself with additional knowledge and not to self-diagnose or self-treat.

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