Evaluating Health Websites
It is possible for anyone to publish information on the Internet. Some of the
information may not be true. It is worth asking yourself the following
questions:
UK Websites
Are you looking at a UK website? The health services available, government
guidelines and patients’ rights will differ from one country to another. Legal
issues and ethical viewpoints will also differ. UK websites are therefore likely
to contain the most relevant information for people living in the UK.
Trustworthiness
Is the website managed by an organisation or an individual? It is best to use
websites that are managed by organisations that you have heard of and trust.
Websites produced by the NHS, government bodies, universities and well-
known charities should contain good quality health information.
Purpose
What is the purpose of the website? Is it aimed at health professional or the
general public? Will the target audience find the information easy to
understand? Is the information intended to be factual or based on opinions? Is
it free from advertising?
Author
Who has written the information on the website? What is their job title? Do
they have any medical or health qualifications? Is the author an expert on the
subject? Are they writing from personal experience? Are their views likely to
be biased in any way?
Evidence
Does the author offer any evidence to back up what they have written? Look
for references to research reports, government guidelines or other literature.
Are there links to other websites? Does the information on the other websites
support what the author has written?
Contact Details
Does the website contain contact details? It is best not to rely on information
that is produced by an anonymous source. In addition, people will be unable
to tell the website owners about errors or new information.
Funding
Who provides funding for the website? Is it a commercial organisation, such
as a drugs company? Can you be sure that the information has not been
written to suit them?
Up to Date
When was the information last updated? The date is usually displayed at the
bottom of the page. The information may not be based on the latest research
or guidelines if the website has not been updated recently. Are all of the links
to other websites still working? If they aren’t it is likely that the website hasn’t
been updated recently.
Accuracy
Is the information free from grammatical and spelling errors? Does the
information contain any political, religious, ideological or commercial bias? Is
the material reviewed by other professionals with suitable qualifications?
Coverage
Look at the topics covered and the level of detail. How much of the subject
area does the website cover? Does it go into enough detail? Is there any
indication that some sections are incomplete? Do any other websites offer the
same coverage? Does the website look at a variety of treatment options?
Links
Are there links from this website? Are these links evaluated? Do the links lead
to relevant information? Do the links lead to other websites that you trust? Are
there links to this website from other websites that you trust?
Kitemarks
Has the website been awarded a kitemark? Kitemarks are symbols that are
used to show that a website meets certain standards of quality. If you click on
the kitemark you will be able to find out what these standards are. Kitemarks
are not used by everyone. It a website does not have one it does not mean
that it is a poor quality website.
Other Sources
Have you checked the information in more than one place? It is worth using
more one source to confirm that the information is correct. How does the
website compare with other websites on the subject?
Subject Gateways
Have you tried using a subject gateway? Subject gateways provide links to
websites that have already been assessed for quality. Try:
http://www.intute.ac.uk/medicine/
for health and medicine
http://www.intute.ac.uk/nmah/
for nursing, midwifery and allied professions