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These days, it seems like everything you want to know is available on the internet. Every question has an answer, and every sickness has a cure. The only problem with the internet being so attainable is that everyone can be a contributor. This can lead to issues when looking for reliable health information. How do you know who to trust?
As much as there is questionable health information present on the internet, there are just as many reliable sources. As a rule of thumb, most government-sponsored websites share correct health information. By visiting www.usa.gov you can reach all the federal websites in one place. Similarly, most well-known organizations and medical schools provide reliable health information.
If you happen to come across a website with medical information and you want to know if you can trust it, there are a series of questions you can ask yourself.
- Who hosts the website? Every website gets its funding from somewhere or someone. Knowing who they are will help highlight the vision and purpose of the organization.
- Who wrote and reviewed the information? Trustworthy information is usually accompanied by an author and author bio. You want to make sure that they are knowledgeable on the subject matter, or that their information has been reviewed by an expert.
- When was it written? While older information is not always useless, your health deserves the most up-to-date knowledge.
- What is the purpose of the site? Knowing the purpose of the site will allow you to better judge its content. If they are trying to sell a product, that might make their health information a little bias.
- Does it offer miracle solutions? You want to be wary of a website that promises one remedy to cure many illnesses. Similarly, look out for dramatic wording and anything that seems too good to be true.
As you scroll through Facebook, you may come across a post that is sharing a cure for some type of illness, or an influencer that is sharing their own medical opinion as fact. It is important to understand that social media allows each individual to post anything they want without proper fact-checking. Everyone is allowed to share their personal experience and that can be harmful to those who feel like they are experiencing the same things and not getting the same results. Someone else’s experiences are not a tool for you to diagnose yourself.
Ultimately, if you want trusted health information for your situation, you should speak to your doctor. If you do not find it necessary to go to the doctor, you can always use trusted government health sites or blogs written by licensed medical professionals.
Agents
We hope this information on finding reliable health information online is helpful to you.
Empower Brokerage is dedicated to helping you educate your clients on the insurance they need and staying on top of their health. Whether it’s through webinar training, one-on-one calls, seminars, or marketing plans. We want you to be successful. Give us a call if you have any questions 888-539-1633.
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Kayla is a graduate of Texas A&M University and joined the marketing team at Empower Brokerage in early 2021. She creates content for the company websites and assists with various marketing campaigns. LinkedIn Profile
