For web research, check the source

By Times Staff Writer
Published May 29, 2007

Consumer advocates in the health care field warn that the easy availability of information on the Web can lead to misunderstanding for people trying to research an illness or treatment. To be safe, follow these tips from the AARP:

- Get a credible Web site from your doctor.

- Consider the source of the information; anyone can create a site that touts his or her own ideas.

- Use the Web address to determine the legitimacy of the source. Sites ending in .gov, .edu and .org, for example, represent government, education and nonprofit organizations, respectively. These are unlikely to have a commercial ax to grind.

- Check for timeliness. Make sure to look for a notation at the bottom of the page that tells you when a page was last updated.

- Check multiple sources.

- Seek seals of approval. Health on the Net Foundation (www.hon.ch) and URAC (www.urac.org) check for certain Web standards. A seal of approval from either of these organizations means a site is accredited.

- Guard your own privacy. Before signing up to access or receive information, make sure to disallow the site from sharing your information.

- Stick with specialists. Instead of using a general search engine, stick with credible medical search sites, such as the American Cancer Society (www.cancer.org), American Diabetes Association (www.diabetes.org), Family Doctor (www.familydoctor.org) and Kids Health (www.kidshealth.org).

AARP The Magazine also has a site, www.aarp.org/health.

Learn about Medicare

A new, free online tool is designed to help consumers learn more about Medicare's coverage.

The Medicare Interactive Counselor (www.medicarerights.org/help.html) is searchable three ways:

- Via a virtual interview that leads site visitors through questions to find the required answer.

- By selecting a topic from the index.

- By using a keyword search.

The site was developed through a grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce Technology Opportunities Program, with grants from four philanthropies. The AARP has a link from its site, www.aarp.org/health/medicare/medicare_interactive_counselor.html.

[Last modified May 28, 2007, 13:46:35]